RWBY: A New Journey
by The Terror of Dimensions
Summary: In the world of Remnant, a boy will begin his journey to find all that he's ever wanted: respect, power, friendship, and some payback on a certain darkness looming over the horizon. On the way, he meets some familiar figures, both good and bad, and becomes friends with a certain blonde-haired girl who REALLY hates people messing with her hair. Maybe a little more than friends...
1. Ruby Rose

**Just a little project I've been thinking of doing ever since watching Rooster Teeth's** ** _RWBY_** **series. I really love the series and wanted to put my own story about it. Since Fanfiction includes** ** _RWBY_** **as something to write on, I decided to give it a shot.**

 **Warning: May not go along with this as fast as my other stories, due to restrictive access to the Internet and (if I go fast enough) the episodes themselves.**

 **Disclaimers:** ** _RWBY_** **and it's franchise is property of Rooster Teeth. I own nothing except for the OC and (maybe) some of the chapter content.**

* * *

It was late at night in the world of Remnant. A man in a white jacket walked down the streets of a large city followed by a group of thugs. The man was smoking from a cigar and an evil grin was on his face. He was carrying a cane in his hand and his henchmen carried either handguns or swords. Any civilians that saw them stepped out of their way in fear, not wanting to mess with the obvious thieves. The man's name was Roman Torchwick, a notorious criminal in Remnant, and he was about to pull off another heist. However, unknown to even the thugs themselves, they were being shadowed by another figure as well. This one wore a black and red cloak over his street clothes. A hood covered his head and shielded his eyes, while a mask covered the lower half of his face. He looked up to get a better view of his targets, revealing blue eyes that seemed to pierce the darkness of the alleys that he stuck to. His eyes held a grim, yet somewhat humored expression in them as he followed the thugs. The thugs walked into a shop named "From Dust Till Dawn" and walked over to the cashier. The henchmen looked around at the store, including the tubes that contained their targeted loot and the colorful crystals that could be seen beneath the glass shelf for show. Roman let some ashes fall from his cigar, much to the cashier's surprise.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a dust shop open this late?" Roman asked, as one of his henchmen drew his gun and pointed it at the cashier. The cashier lifted his hands up in surrender.

"Please," he said in a fearful voice, "Just take my Lien and leave!"

"Shh, calm down," Roman said, "we're not here for your money." He turned to henchmen and said, "Grab the dust."

The rest of his henchmen pulled out a briefcase and pulled out some form of cylinder-shaped containers. They walked over to the tubes containing the dust and inserted the containers into a nozzle on the tubes. One thug, however, stopped when he heard music playing. Turning to the sound, he saw a little girl in a red hood reading a comic or magazine. The thug pulled out his sword and pointed it in her direction.

"Alright kid," the henchman said, "put your hands where I can see 'em." However, the kid didn't seem to notice.

"Hey, I said hands in the air! You got a death wish or something?"

He reached over and grabbed the kid's hood, causing it to fall off and reveal that she was wearing headphones that were connected to some kind of portable radio. The kid turned to him, allowing some of her features to be shown. Her hair was blackish-red, her eyes grey in color, and she had a rosey color to her face. The thug pointed to his ear, a signal that the girl understood. She removed her headphones.

"Yes?" she asked.

"I said put your hands in the air, now!" the henchman said. He seemed to be getting impatient.

"Are you...robbing me?" the girl asked.

"Yes!"

"Oh..."

The girl gave a smile. The next thing the henchman knew, he was thrown across the room and smacked against the wall at the front entrance. Outside, Roman's follower watched with an impressed look on his face. "A Huntress," he muttered to himself. His voice suggested that he was roughly eighteen or nineteen years old. He stepped away from the windows just as another henchman flew through it, shattering the window completely. The girl followed after, pulling out her weapon as she did. It was a large red scythe, about her size in height, but another look at it told the man that it was also a rifle of some kind. This wasn't too surprising. Almost every weapon in Remnant doubled as a gun, so it wasn't uncommon to see this now. The redhead twirled the scythe around and stuck it in the ground in an impressive looking pose. Noticing that her music was still playing, she pressed a button on it and the music stopped.

"Cue my entry," the man said to himself. He walked out of the shadows and said in a loud, disappointed tone, "Oh come on! I love that song!"

Both Roman and the girl turned to the man in confusion as he stepped into the open. He had removed his mask, showing a face that had a somewhat hurt expression on it, but his eyes held a mischievous expression. His hood had come off too, showing a tuff of brown hair. He was indeed around eighteen years old. The boy looked to the girl and a smile grew on his face.

"Nevertheless, that was awesome! Really like that style of yours, little girl. Who's your friend? *gesturing to Roman* An old enemy to the family?"

"I'm sorry, who are you?" the girl asked.

"Just someone who goes looking for trouble, and if I can't find trouble, I make it. In a good way, usually. I don't go about stealing things."

"Okkay," Roman said, clearly not expecting this. He looked to his henchmen. "Get her! And get the boy too! No witnesses."

The henchmen jumped out through the broken glass and charged the two, three going for the girl, two for the boy. The boy smirked and pulled out some headphones of his own. He put them into his earbuds and turned on his walk radio. A song started to play that seemed to fit the mood and he smiled.

"Perfect!"

It was then that he noticed the men coming towards him.

"Hey fellas!" He greeted them as if they were good friends. "You've come to beat me at a dance fight?"

The response was that one of the henchmen swung his sword at the boy, but he simply sidestepped out of the way, dancing to his song. Confused and surprised, the henchman tried again, with roughly the same result. The boy then grabbed the thug's hand and twirled him around in a dance-like motion. The thug soon got dizzy and the boy let him go, sending the thug flying into his comrade nearby.

"Uh oh!" the boy said with a laugh, "Someone can't handle the dance floor!"

He heard machine gun fire and noticed one of the thugs firing his gun at the girl.

"Finally, one of them decides to be smart," he muttered with amusement, as the girl quickly finished him off too. "But, a little too late."

Roman Torchwick now stood alone as the girl stared him down. He sighed and said sarcastically to his unconscious henchmen, "You were worth every cent. Truly you were." He addressed the girl now, letting his cigar fall to the ground as police sirens wailed in the distance.

"Well, Red, I think we can all say it's been an eventful evening, and as much as I'd love to stick around..." He pointed his cane at the girl, and a small aiming sight appeared from the tip, suggesting that it too was a gun. "This is where we part ways."

Roman fired a shot at the girl, which seemed much bigger and more dangerous than any normal bullet. The girl managed to jump high into the sky, and away from the shot. During this time, Roman ran towards a ladder and started to climb up to the roof of a nearby building. The girl saw this, but still turned slightly to the shop owner.

"You okay if I go after him?" she asked.

"Uh huh," the owner replied.

Meanwhile, Roman had just gotten to the top of the ladder, only to see the boy standing a few feet away.

"Going somewhere, good sir?" the boy asked in a mock British accent. He now had a spectacle on one eye and was sipping from a teacup which he had placed on a small plate in his hand. The girl jumped up from behind Roman, seemingly trapping him between the two young warriors. Roman smiled and said, "Persistent." Just then, the roar of an engine was heard behind the boy and he turned to see a large state of the art ship fly up behind him.

"Okay, I'll admit, I did not see that one coming," the boy said, losing his accent. Unfortunately, Roman used this distraction to rush past the boy and into the now-open side door of the cargo ship. Roman turned around and shouted, "End of the line, kids!" He tossed a red crystal at them both. The boy saw the crystal fast enough and realized what was going to happen next. His guess was deemed true when Roman fired a shot at the crystal. Thinking fast, the boy quickly pulled out a firearm of his own and fired a shot that intercepted Roman's mid-flight and sent it off course. Roman seemed genuinely surprised, but the boy simply chuckled.

"Nice," he said, "But I've seen better."

He then pulled out another pistol and began firing away at the ship with both. Surprisingly, it actually seemed to do significant damage to the ship as it tried to leave. Roman stumbled towards the cockpit as the boy continued to fire.

Just then, a storm appeared out of nowhere around the ship. A woman appeared beside the girl and started raining ice shards upon the ship from the storm above it. She was a blonde headed woman, wearing black with a white shirt and a pair of glasses. She held some kind of wand thingy [I honestly don't know what it's called! XD] and she seemed to be adept in magic. Another female figure appeared from where Roman had been before and fired a blast from her hand at the other woman. The "teacher" woman deflected the attack with a kind of shield. The woman caused the ground underneath the teacher to glow, but she jumped out of the way just as a huge magic blast erupted from where she had been standing. Pieces of the roof had fallen around her as a result. The teacher formed this debris into a kind of giant spear and threw it at the ship. The woman onboard fired a blast at the "spear" and it shattered. The teacher summoned another spear like thing and it flew towards the cockpit. The ship turned just in time to have it deflect off the side of the ship, but it then formed into smaller spears that started to ensnare the ship. The woman made a swiping motion with both hands, and the tendrils shattered yet again. The little girl decided then to intervene herself. Her scythe turned into some kind of rifle and she began firing a few shots at the woman, who deflected all of them away with her hands. She then made several areas around the girl and the teacher glow. The teacher used her magic to throw the girl out of harms way before jumping away herself, just as those areas exploded with energy. The ship then took off in a hurry. The girl looked around, only then noticing that the boy had disappeared sometime during the attack. She then turned back to the teacher.

"You're a Huntress!" she said excitedly. "Can I have your autograph?"

* * *

The boy chuckled as he watched the girl from a rooftop some distance away. He had slipped off sometime when the Huntress had shown up. The last thing he needed was to be recognized by anyone who could potentially turn him in. He pulled out a tablet device, a "Scroll", and peered at the image of the girl on it.

"Ruby Rose," he muttered to himself. "Known aliases are her sister, Yang, Uncle Qrow, and her father...too bad that I don't have much info on the father. Well, Miss Rose, it was a pleasure to fight by your side."

He watched as the girl left with the Huntress and smiled.

"You're in good hands. Ozpin is a perfect choice to run into. I hope that you find what you're looking for. In the meantime, I have some clients to satisfy, crimes to stop, and trouble to run into. I'll see you later, if possible."

The boy replaced his mask and silently dropped down into an alley below, then silently slunk along the streets, hidden in the shadows as he looked for his next adventure.

* * *

 **Well, there you go! My first _RWBY_ chapter! Like I said before, I may not work on this as often as my other chapters due to internet access and (maybe) the amount of episodes themselves.**

 **Lemme know what you think and I'll see you all next time! Peace!**


	2. A Short Encounter

**Well, when you start a story, you intend to finish it, right?**

 **In this chapter, Yang is going to meet our little "mystery man" during a nightly run. Let's see what's in store for them.**

* * *

Yang Xiao Long was driving her motorcycle, Bumble Bee, down the already darkened streets of Vale, looking for any trouble that she might run into. She was inwardly getting a little bit suspicious of the recent robberies that had been happening around Vale. That Roman Torchwick had yet to be apprehended and there was always the common criminals too. Yang sighed to herself as she parked her vehicle near a place that was a popular hangout for most troublemakers: a club. Sadly, it wasn't the club run by that guy named Junior, but it was a club nonetheless. And that's all she needed. Yang got off the bike and started to head for the doors, but then stopped. She thought she had heard a noise behind her. She turned but saw no one.

"Too fast for you, Blondie?" a male's voice said from the direction of the doors. Turning in that direction, Yang saw an eighteen year old boy standing by the doors. He was in a relaxed pose and had a mischievous grin on his face. It only took Yang a moment to realize that the boy she saw matched the description of the boy Ruby had told her about some time ago. From what Ruby had told her, this boy had more about him than he let on. Outwardly, he seemed harmless enough, but of course that was just as simple an illusion as a stranger pretending to be a nice guy to little kids until he could find the right moment to strike...

The boy gave a whistle as he looked Yang over.

"You're a cute one," he said in a kind tone. "But that can be dangerous for you, ya know? People could try to have their way with you, and your beauty isn't really gonna help you there. On the other hand..." He smirked. "Looks can often be deceiving, sometimes in a dangerous way. That's what makes us survivors; there's more to us than what meets the eye. Isn't that right...Yang Xiao Long?"

Yang was shocked that this figure knew her name and was a bit suspicious of whatever his intentions might be. But she decided to play along for now, at least until she could figure out what he wanted. Putting on a smile, she gave him a smirk of her own.

"Well, you're not in much room to talk either, pretty boy," she said in an almost flirting tone. "Aren't you a little young to be flirting with girls behind your parents' backs?"

"Says the girl who walks willingly into clubs every now and then, despite being a little young for that."

Yang smiled in amusement. This boy certainly knew how to play his cards. Deciding to be a little more serious, she asked, "How did you know my name?"

"I have ways," the boy said in an unconcerned manner, as he held up a Scroll that showed Yang's picture. At the teen's raising of an eyebrow, he chuckled.

"What? Is this too much for you to take in? Then here's a suggestion: don't. It helps... usually."

"Okay then, what are you doing here?" Yang demanded. Her patience was a bit low tonight, and the boy was clearly not helping.

"I could ask the same of you, but I guess that a Huntress doesn't need much of an alibi." The boy sighed. "Very well. If you must know, I've been on the lookout for a certain Roman Torchwick. Notorious criminal here. Perhaps you know him?"

"Isn't he that guy you tried to help my sister with?"

"That's the one. I think that I know where he'll strike next, or at the very least where his goons will strike, and I think it's time they learned a thing or two about being greedy. You can tag along and help me out or you try to stop me, as I am the equivalent of a vigilante. Your call, Goldilocks."

"DON'T call me that," Yang warned. She then turned away to consider her options. If she turned him in, she would be bringing in a wanted man and possibly get a reward for it. Not that the reward mattered, it would simply be doing the cops a favor. On the other hand, if she tagged along with his plans, she could probably get one step closer to bringing down Roman for good. It was shot in the dark, but it was worth a try. Yang turned back to see the boy with a look on his face that showed he had been expecting this.

"Alright then, Pretty Boy," Yang said with a serious look, "What's the plan?"

"Follow me and you'll find out, assuming that you can keep up. Oh, and you may call me by my vigilante title...the Dancing Rogue. Not the best name, I'll admit, but it's something. And it matches with what I am most commonly known for doing: dance-fighting."

The "Dancing Rogue" smiled and a tether fired from his arm and grappled him up the side of a building nearby. He looked down and said playfully, "You coming, Blondie?"

Yang just smiled and shook her head as she got back on Bumble Bee and followed him from down on the streets.

* * *

The Dancing Rogue brought Yang outside to a secluded warehouse on the outskirts of town. He apparently had been suspecting trouble, because he motioned for Yang to park Bumble Bee a safe distance away, hidden from view. He then dropped down to meet up with her once she had found a good spot. Unfortunately, he almost landed on top of her when he did, though it was unclear of whether he had intended that or not. Yang was mostly indifferent to his rather unorthodox methods, but she did raise an eyebrow suspiciously when he pulled off the previously mentioned action. The Rogue just chuckled lightly.

"So, why are we here?" Yang asked as she followed him at a distance. He stopped her with his hand and pulled out a scope of some kind. It looked like a rifle scope mixed with a regular telescope, and it was not connected to any weapon. He peered through the lenses towards the warehouse, then handed the scope to Yang.

"See for yourself," he said, "but be careful. I want that back after you're done."

"Pfft! Like I'd want your scope," Yang countered before peering into the lenses. What she saw confirmed that trouble was brewing. A group of thugs were coming in and out of the warehouse, mostly in ones or twos, bringing in boxes that were labeled with the Vale emblem. However, some of the thugs were wearing some kind of mask over their faces and a red wolf emblem was on their backs.

"Who are those guys?" Yang asked, handing back the scope.

"White Fang," the boy muttered aloud. "What Roman is doing negotiating with them is beyond me. But whatever they're doing, it looks big." He turned to Yang and grinned. "What do ya say we kick-start their night with a little party? They look like they could use some cheering up."

"I'm down," Yang replied, smirking back. The two quietly sneaked over to the warehouse, avoiding the attention of the guards. Yang and the boy peered through the entrance and looked around at the operation going on.

"No sign of Roman," the boy said in slight disappointment, "but he's definitely been here."

"So, any ideas?" Yang asked.

"One, if you like loud noises. Let's just say that their party is going to start off with a bang."

"Don't you mean, it's gonna start off with a 'Yang'?"

The boy chuckled. "That's a terrible pun, but I like it. Alright, let's do this."

The boy suddenly broke into a sprint towards a stack of the boxes, jumped impossibly high and landed on the top. His actions had not gone unnoticed, but he apparently wanted that.

"Hey fellas!" he shouted, attracting more attention to himself, "Is it just me, or is it getting funky in here? Well, how about we spice things up a bit?"

The boy threw an object to the ground and another at the ceiling. The object on the ground exploded into smoke, while the object thrown at the roof turned into a disco ball that attached itself to the ceiling via a grappling hook. Music started to play as the boy dropped to the floor.

"Let's dance," he said in a formerly fashion. He then literally began dancing to the music that was played. It was around this time that the White Fang chose to attack. Two charged him with melee weapons, but to their surprise, he simply twirled around on his feet, dodging their swings, then did a break dancing motion that swiped their feet out from under them. A few more fired their weapons at him, but the boy merely moon-walked out of the crossfire, causing the criminals to accidentally hit their downed comrades. The boy smiled as a large figure charged him from behind, screaming like a banshee. With a loud "Alioop!" the boy did a backwards vault over the charging Faunus and activated something on his wrists and feet: gauntlets and footwear which doubled as guns. Letting loose with all four barrels, the boy rocketed back towards a wall behind him, taking out the Faunus with his rounds at the same time. He bounced off the wall into another guard and officially ended the fighting in his area. Over the sound of the music, he could still here gunfire. Guessing correctly that Yang was in combat, the boy rushed over towards the firing and came upon the scene, just as Yang activated her Semblance to fight a few nasty looking White Fang members. Her hair glowed and her eyes were red. A small pile of golden hair could be seen on the ground, and the boy guessed that had pissed her off.

"Figures," he said nonchalantly as he calmly watched Yang beat the tar out of the Faunus, "I should've known that's why she keeps her hair unkempt like that. It looks nice regardless, but I'll bet she doesn't like anyone touching it."

"You got that right," Yang replied back, having finished combating the Faunus. Her eyes had returned to their purple color and her hair was no longer glowing. "No one touches my hair, unless they want a few broken bones."

"Well, I've faced worst than broken bones," the boy said with a smirk, "but I think that it'd be rather inconvenient for me to experience something like that at the moment."

The two looked at the damage they had caused, only just noticing that the music inside had stopped.

"Oh boy! We'd better move," the boy said as he started at a walk away from the warehouse.

"Why?" Yang asked in confusion. Suddenly, the roof exploded and a shiny multi-colored flare fired into the sky.

" _That's_ why," the boy said without turning around. "You coming Blondie, or do you want to explain to the cops what happened?"

Yang took one more look back at the warehouse, then followed the boy out of the area.

* * *

"Well, that certainly went better than I expected," the boy said later, once they had gotten a reasonable distance away from the scene.

"What? Did you think I couldn't handle it?" Yang asked, but almost sounded humored.

"No, I thought that I'd mess up my dance moves. But apparently, even after being out of the game for so long, I've still got my touch! You, on the other hand...you were amazing! And I didn't even get to see the full fight!"

"Well, I am a Huntress for a reason."

The boy chuckled, then looked down at a watch on his wrist.

"Well, it looks like our time is up, Goldilocks. You might want to head back to Beacon before the Three Bears get home. Wouldn't want them to know that it was _you_ who ate their porridge, now would we?"

Yang laughed. "Why do I feel like this is going to be a common theme for us now?"

"Because it probably is," the boy said with a smile. He then said more formerly, "Goodnight, Yang. Catch ya later!"

The boy threw a smoke bomb on the ground, disappearing during the confusion caused by it. Yang waited for him to leave, then got on Bumble Bee and drove back in the direction of Beacon Academy. She still wasn't sure if his presence was reassuring in the town or not, but she could be sure of one thing.

He was one less fiend to worry about.

* * *

The boy watched Yang drive away from the rooftops of Vale with an admiring glance.

"Well, Miss Xiao Long has some skills. Good. She'll need them for the fight ahead."

He sighed. But that's what worried him, wasn't it? No one had truly succeeded before, and the students at Beacon Academy were still rather young.

"Still, there's always a first time for everything," the boy muttered, "but for your sake and their own, Ozpin..."

The boy dropped down from the roof of the building he had been perched on and casually walked down the mostly-vacant street.

"I hope you know what you're doing, because I sure don't."

* * *

 **Well, what'd you think about that exchange? For any who are wondering, the mystery man will reveal his name in due time and will soon be a more open friend towards Team RWBY and Co.**

 **Lemme know what you thought in a review, and I will see you all in the next chapter!**

 **Peace out, fans!**


	3. Faunus Background

**Let's keep 'er going, shall we? In this episode, mystery boy runs into Blake for the first time. This will have a bit of an episode-following section, but mostly from our mystery man's POV. Also, a few scenes will be non-episode related.**

 **Please enjoy!**

* * *

The "Dancing Rogue" leaned against the bar counter in a casual pose, starring down at a watch he wore on his wrist. He seemed to be waiting for something to happen. As he stared at the watch, he noticed a nasty looking thug speaking to one of the men who tended the club he was in from out of the corner of his eye. The thug left the building in a hurry, and the boy smiled. He started speaking aloud after he had given the thug time to leave, as if reading a script.

"The Three Bears have left the building to let their porridge cool. Give her a little time...and, enter Goldilocks."

As if on cue, the doors to the club opened up, and a certain golden haired Huntress walked in. The boy looked back down at the floor, but this time it seemed more as a means to avoid eye contact with the newcomer. Not that he didn't want to see her or vice versa; it was more to seem casual in case they were being watched. He heard footsteps approach the counter over the sound of the music blaring from the DJ stand, and they stopped next to him. Looking to his left, the boy saw a familiar pair of shoes beside him. He really liked the color of them; they seemed to suit her well.

"Strawberry Sunrise," a familiar female voice said next to him, as the girl ordered a drink from the counter, "No ice. Thanks."

"You're late, Goldilocks," the boy said playfully, as he looked up into a pair of familiar purple eyes. "You were supposed to come in a few seconds earlier. Guess we'll have to rehearse that scene again, but we'll need to see progress soon. The play is in a few more weeks, ya know."

Yang let out a chuckle. "Oh, I wasn't aware that rehearsals were today. Otherwise, I would've arrived earlier."

The boy chuckled, then asked in a more serious tone, "Have you gotten any more leads on our dust thief?"

"Nothing so far," Yang replied, leaning against the counter with him, "and my time at Beacon isn't exactly allowing for much flexibility."

"I forget that you still take classes, Blondie," the boy smiled. "Maybe I've been asking too much of you?"

"Not at all," Yang said reassuringly, "If anything, you're not asking enough from me."

"Are you sure?" the boy asked with concern, "I wouldn't want to push you too far..."

Yang laughed and slugged his shoulder. "You worry too much! I think I can handle it."

The boy chuckled, then stood up and said, "Well, we'd better get moving. I may not have much either, but at the least I know where another shipment may be. I think that it's time we paid one of Roman's goons a visit."

Yang nodded and started to follow him out, but then stopped when the boy walked back to the counter and grabbed a drink from off it and replaced it with some cash. He handed the drink to Yang and smirked.

"Wouldn't want you to leave without your drink, now would we?"

Yang smiled back and took a sip.

"Well, you certainly know how to be a gentleman when you have to be."

The boy just laughed again. "Let's go Goldilocks, before the porridge gets too cold!"

* * *

"I'd say that was a disaster, if it wasn't for the fact that I actually enjoy ending the night with a little collateral damage on the enemy's side," the boy remarked as he and Yang both recalled the events of tonight's intrusion. The two had once again caught Roman's men off guard in yet another one of their hideouts and had caused a mayhem among his troops. However, it seemed that the two had been expected to show in some way, as there had been higher security measures and plenty of firepower to oppose them. Unfortunately for Roman's thugs, they had sadly been outmatched either way. Now, the two shared a good laugh over the fight they had had with the dust thieves.

"It wasn't all bad," Yang said reassuringly. "At least we gave them a good time. I hope they invite us back sometime soon."

"I'll say," the boy replied. "I was particularly interested in your display at the end Blondie." He laughed. "Remind me to NEVER get you that mad at me! You literally tore that entire crate in half- a shipping crate made of metal, mind you! I would've shaken your hand in congratulations at that point, but at the time I was afraid that you'd rip it clean off."

Yang laughed playfully when she heard this. "Aww! I forgot that you're still scared of my strength at times!"

"Why wouldn't I be? Anyone in their right mind would be terrified to see someone tear apart a shipping crate with their BARE HANDS. Besides, who said that I was scared? I've seen plenty of things that top that."

"Oh, don't take it so seriously. I was just playing with you, Dancy Pants! Come on, let's just kiss and make up like friends."

The boy looked at Yang hard when she said this. It was clear that he hadn't expected this to occur. He raised an eyebrow at her, but a slight hint of hope was in his eyes.

"You're joking, right?" he asked as he stared at her. Her only response was a giggle as she pulled a strand of her hair away from her face. The boy realized where that would get him, however, and smirked.

"While I appreciate the offer madame, I'm afraid that I can't afford a broken nose this week."

Yang laughed. "Guess you saw too much between me and Junior then."

"Well, I get to see a lot of what goes on here in Vale. Not much goes unnoticed in my line of work...at least not without the proper help."

"Proper help?" Yang seemed interested. "Like what?"

"Black market deals, people on the wrong side of the law, the usual," the boy said. _And some that are beyond us which we later regret,_ he thought to himself.

Yang noticed his troubled look, but instead of pursuing it further, she said with a smile, "I should probably get back to Beacon. They'll be turning in for the night soon and I wouldn't want to be late."

"Of course," the boy nodded. "Take care, Goldilocks. I'd hate to see you on the teachers' bad sides."

Yang hopped on Bumble Bee and drove off towards Beacon. The boy waited until she was long gone, then sighed and hung his head sadly.

"Ozpin, whatever you're planning, please make it work this time," he whispered aloud, "I've lost too much already in this fight. I don't want to lose another whom I..."

He suddenly seemed to realize what he was saying and shook his head.

"You can't already be feeling like that towards her!" he scolded himself, "You barely know her on a personal level and she knows even less about you!" His tone softened a bit as he remembered all the trouble they had caused for the thugs over the month.

"She is pretty good at fighting, though," he admitted. "Cute smile, healthy form, charming personality...and such beautiful hair too. Yeah, she's quite a rare find..." He suddenly slapped himself as if his hand had a mind of its own.

"What is wrong with me?! She's a Huntress and you're a Rogue! She should be turning me in if she ever found out what I've done! And I said that I'd never- that is, I-" He sighed in defeat. "Oh, what's the point of arguing? I can't stop thinking about Blondie...in fact, come to think of it, I haven't felt this way towards anyone ever since..."

He stopped himself again and sighed heavily.

"I lost so much to... _her_ ," he spat the last word out in disgust, clearly talking about someone else now, "She pretended to be a friend, to help me...and then stabbed me in the back! Whether I get back into the game or not, I WILL NOT let her take anyone else from me again!"

He disappeared into the shadows of an alley without a sound.

"Not this time..."

* * *

"I don't understand why this is causing such a problem!"

"That _is_ the problem!"

"Sheesh, they certainly know how to cause a ruckus," the Dancing Rogue stated aloud as he listened in on the conversation. He wasn't _that_ close to Team RWBY's window, but he could still hear everything that they said, thanks to a bug he had planted in their room the month before meeting Yang. In fact, he had bugged most of Beacon truthfully, but a lot of them had been deactivated thanks to Ozpin.

"He sure knows how to get under my skin," the boy remarked in regards to the bugs, "Does he _want_ me to reveal myself publicly? Surely by now he knows that it's me."

The boy sighed as he continued to listen.

"...People like me?!"

"You're discriminatory!"

"I'm a victim! You want to know _why_ I despise the White Fang? Why I don't particularly trust the Faunus? It's because they've been at war with my family for years. War. As in actual bloodshed. My grandfather's company has had a target painted across its back for as long as I can remember. And ever since I was a child, I've watched family friends disappear, board members executed, an entire train car full of Dust...stolen. And every day, my father would come home furious, and that made for a very difficult childhood."

"Weiss, I-"

"No!"

"Wait, that's the girl I helped out with Roman isn't it?" the boy realized. "Huh! Never thought I'd see her with one of Mr. Schnee's family members. But I'm more curious in our little friend that's arguing with his daughter." He listened with more interest.

"You want to know why I despise the White Fang? It's because they're a bunch of liars! Thieves! And murderers!"

"Well maybe we were just tired of being pushed around!"

A silence followed quickly after that, and the boy scratched his chin with interest.

"So I was right..." he muttered. He listened for more.

"I-"

He heard a rush of wind from the bug, followed by Ruby's voice calling for her to come back. Not long after, he saw Blake herself running along the path to Beacon's doors. He sighed as he watched her come to a stop. Looking down at the ground, she pulled off the bow she wore, revealing a pair of cat ears which had been hidden away. She seemed on the verge of tears...

"I had a feeling that you were a Faunus," the boy said kindly.

Blake looked up to him, noticing him standing on top of the statue in front of her. He smiled warmly at her in heartfelt sympathy. Blake, however, was wary of him.

"Who are you?" she demanded. The boy held up his hands in a non-threatening gesture.

"Relax, I'm a friend of Yang's. But, in case that's not good enough, at least know that I don't share the same views as Miss Schnee."

Blake relaxed slightly when she heard this, but was still on guard. The boy dropped down in front of her and said kindly, "Why don't you walk with me? The night's still young and I would be more than happy to listen to what you have to say."

"And why would I do that?" Blake asked, placing her hands on her weapons. The boy laughed.

"I'm not gonna mug you, if that's what you think! Besides," he said kindly, "I too know a thing or two about discrimination."

Blake hesitated just a moment longer, then lowered her guard and followed him off the campus.

* * *

"Well, that's quite the story," the boy said to her, sipping from a glass he held in his hands. He and Blake had decided to sit on a bench outside a restaurant and talked more freely as the night carried on. Blake ended up telling him everything about herself, including her involvement with the White Fang. When she was finished, the boy had been rather sympathetic.

"The White Fang are not in the right for what they do and Weiss rightly accuses them for it, but I understand why they'd resort to such measures. People can only take so much before they snap, and if they can't win one way then most try to win another way."

Blake nodded gravely, then asked him, "Why are you so open to my kind? You are one of the very things that hate us with a passion, yet you show a different side to humans. Why?"

The boy smiled again and said, "My mother was a Faunus, but my father was a human. They didn't care about Faunus and human rivalries at the time, nor did they ever. They too wanted peace between the two species, but not in the way that the White Fang operates today. As such, I guess you could say that I had the proper heritage growing up to realize the problems with both sides."

Blake lifted her head higher when she heard this and her ears perked up too. The boy chuckled when he noticed that and continued, "Humans fear what they don't understand, and that fear can turn to hate. When they fear something, they hope to somehow eliminate the source of that fear if possible. Sadly, it's that same fear that makes them forget their own flaws. They never bother to wonder if maybe the Faunus feel the same way. All they care is that the possibility of a threat is eliminated. Meanwhile, the Faunus feel threatened by the humans and rightly so. When a beast is threatened, it will choose to run or fight back. The Faunus have decided to do the latter through the White Fang. It's not right, but they don't know any other way that seems to work."

Blake managed a small smile at the boy, then he asked her, "You mentioned a connection with the White Fang. Did Adam ever mention me?"

"What?" Blake was confused.

"A human supporting the White Fang in person?"

"No. You know Adam?"

"Figures. I guess at this point, it would be bad for propaganda. In answer to your question, Adam and I have a history with each other. We used to be friends to some extent, but while I strove for equality for the Faunus peacefully, he went down a darker path, as you may already know. I told him that I would no longer support the White Fang if he continued down this path, and he...tried to kill me. Emphasis on tried. I spared his life out of pity, for I still hoped that he would change. Guess I was wrong." The boy chuckled sadly. "Sometimes, I wonder if I would've stopped this violence if I had killed him. Or perhaps, I only would've strengthened the White Fang's resolve through the death of their leader. But I won't give up on the idea of equality between our species, and neither should you."

Blake was silent as the boy left his seat.

"Well, I'd better get going. I need to make my rounds for the night. Take care, Blake. Oh, and take this."

He placed a card down on the bench next to her. On the card was a symbol of a disco ball surrounded by Faunus and human figures.

"Whenever you're in trouble, need some answers, or just wanna talk, show this card to the guys who run the clubs around here. They'll provide sanctuary and help you with what you need."

The boy gave her one last smile, before throwing a multi-colored smoke bomb to the ground. When the smoke cleared, he was gone.

* * *

The boy watched as a Faunus with a monkey tail joined Blake shortly after his departure from the safety of the rooftops. He sighed as he watched her.

"Don't give up, Blake," he muttered as he left.

"The day will come..."

* * *

 **Well, this is getting interesting. Let me know what you think so far and I'll see you then!**

 **TTFN! Ta ta for now!**


	4. Mystery Boy Revealed

**Keep going on, they says. It'll be easy, they says. Well...they wrong, but I still go on.**

 **This chapter is shorter, because it's simply transferring to the Volume 2 section.**

 **Please enjoy!**

* * *

"Listening to these guys trying to talk to Penny is great! However, it's a shame that Blake has decided to stay quiet and not communicate with her friends," the boy said to himself as he followed two certain Huntresses from a distance. His eyes particularly seemed more interested in the gold haired one than the other. Anyone watching would probably suspect him of stalking, but in truth he simply was trying to get closer to hear what they said. He slowed down as he listened to them speak, now within hearing range.

"...You really don't care if we find her, do you?" Yang asked Weiss.

"Don't be stupid! Of course I do. I'm just afraid of what she'll say when find her. The innocent never run, Yang."

"Maybe, but scared and emotionally hurt individuals do," the boy said, loud enough for them to hear him. The two turned around to him and he beamed a smile.

"Oh, hey Dancy Pants!" Yang said.

"Hello, Goldilocks. Miss Schnee. Looking for your friend?"

"Uh, Yang? Who's that?" Weiss asked, looking at the boy. The response was a chuckle from the boy as he approached her.

"I am an old friend of your golden haired teammate. We've had quite the encounters with Roman's goons if you must know, Weiss Schnee."

"What the- how do you-?"

Yang and the boy both shared a laugh.

"I have ways. Plus, it's not that hard to figure out who you are. So, what's this about Blake?"

Yang sighed. "She left Friday. We've been looking all over for her, but can't seem to figure out where she's gone."

"Perhaps I can help," the boy offered. "I ran into her on the night of your argument- yes, I heard everything- and she was not in the best condition. I talked with her for a while, then left for my nightly rounds. I'm not sure where she is now, but I do know she's in good hands. She is in no danger, I assure you. At least, not for the moment."

"You listened in on us?!" Weiss shouted. She clearly didn't like that idea.

"Calm down Weiss," Yang said. "He's just trying to help. Though it is a bit disturbing to hear that."

"It's understandable, but my line of work demands it," the boy said. He started walking through the streets away from them, but he obviously wanted them to follow.

"Come," he said, "I know some guys who can help us out."

* * *

"Well, as helpful as they were, we're still at square one," the boy muttered. "The things I do for the people of Vale."

"Is that a bad thing?" Yang inquired. Weiss had remained silent, still suspicious of the boy.

"Not at all," he explained, "but it is still appalling how they seem to need help with just about everything sometimes."

The boy let out a whistle as the evening set in.

"Hate to leave ya hanging, Goldilocks, but I need to get going. It's time for my nightly run."

"Hold on!" Weiss shouted at him, "You can't just leave us! We still haven't found her!"

Just then, a loud explosion was heard in the direction of the docks. Turning to look, the group saw a large column of smoke rising in the sky.

"Found her," the boy said, activating his gauntlets and footwear. "Time to kill two birds with one stone. Cya there!"

The boy pulled out something from his pocket, the rifle scope he had used when Yang first met him. Something was on the bottom of it where it would normally be attached to a rifle. He slapped it onto the bottom of his foot and repeated this with his other foot, revealing them to be roller blades of some kind. He skated off towards the docks as the shots continued in the distance.

* * *

Of course the fighting would be over when I get there, he thought to himself. He watched as members of the White Fang were arrested by Vale authorities and taken away. More police officers were in the area, so the boy tried to keep his profile low. Thankfully, this was not a difficult task thanks to his skill at blending in and the investigation of more important matters that were going on around him. He walked over to the group of Hunters who had reunited with Blake, and apparently on good terms. They turned to him as he approached.

"Well, glad to see that everything worked out in the end," the boy said to them.

"Hey, you're that guy who helped me with Roman the first time!" Ruby exclaimed.

The boy laughed. "Guilty as charged, Red Riding Hood. It's nice to meet you in person, for once."

"Hold on, you know him?" Blake asked.

"Not really," Ruby replied. "We barely managed to talk when we met."

"The same can't be said about your sister," the boy said with a chuckle, as he looked to Yang. Everyone turned to Yang.

"We met a couple times," she admitted. "He helped me out with some of Roman's thugs."

"And you performed beautifully too, if I may be so bold," the boy finished.

"Can we get back to the task at hand?" Weiss asked.

"Like what?" the boy asked back. "Roman has retreated, the Dust is safe, and some criminals are being brought to justice. All in a day's work!"

"No, she's right," Blake intervened. "We don't know why the White Fang is working with him or why they are behind these robberies. That's something we can't afford to ignore."

The boy smiled. "All in good time, friends. For now, enjoy the victory while there's still time." He then lost his smile and said more seriously, "I know your names, but I don't believe I ever told you my own, did I?"

"No, you were rather distant there," Yang agreed.

The boy sighed. "Well, guess now's as good a time as any." He looked them in the eyes as he revealed a symbol on his left breast pocket; the same symbol on the card he had given to Blake.

"My name is Diego Kapila. The Dancing Rogue, former supporter of the White Fang, and the Warrior of Remnant."

* * *

 **And that brings the Volume One section to a close. Hope you enjoyed!**

 **Thanks to _LunaTheBlackWolf_ for giving our mystery man a name! I will find a way to repay the favor if possible!**

 **Review, follow, or whatever, and I will see you next time!**

 **Peace!**


	5. Trouble and Confessions

**Well, here goes! Another chapter coming up!**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Diego Kapila waited patiently outside the doors to the club for Yang to arrive. He honestly didn't know if she'd arrive tonight, but he was hoping to see her again. Now that her entire team knew about him, he no longer had to keep their involvement with each other secret from them. Heck, if she wanted to bring her sister along, he'd be perfectly fine about it, so long as he was sure that she could handle herself. But it still was something he was worried about. Sure, Yang and her team could take care of themselves, but what if they couldn't handle the fight ahead? What if Yang couldn't? He'd lose her, like everyone else...

Diego sighed. He still hadn't told her. He wasn't sure how she'd take it. Besides, technically speaking, they fought on different sides of the law. That alone made things complicated between them. But that's why he had gotten out of the game for so long, wasn't it? Because he didn't want to lose anymore people whom he cared about. On the other hand, if he didn't do anything, then she had already won. The thought made him clench his teeth in anger.

 _No, I WILL NOT let her win! Not again!_

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a familiar motor in the distance. He smiled as the motorcycle known as Bumble Bee appeared in the distance. Riding it was Goldilocks herself. Diego couldn't remember being cheered up at the sight of a Huntress before. He stepped away from the doors of the club and met her as she parked outside the club.

"Well Goldilocks, I see that you have been getting better at arriving on time. Someone has been practicing her motorcycle skills."

Yang chuckled. "I guess you could say that I've been saving up for a rainy day. You never know when you'll be forced to get somewhere quickly."

"Too right," Diego nodded. He stretched and continued, "Well, we'd better get going. Those thugs won't be busting themselves. Unless they're just that bad at their jobs."

Yang laughed. "I am surprised that they haven't turned themselves in at this rate."

Diego laughed with her, then put his roller blades on his shoes while Yang revved her engine back up. The two started off towards the edge of town, where their target was expected to be.

* * *

"Funny. The place is empty. Where is everyone?" Yang asked when they got there.

"I don't really know. By all rights, they should be here..." Diego was peering around the empty warehouse, looking for any traces that would give away what was wrong with the place. Just then, he spotted a very slight detail, one which most wouldn't notice: the reflection of a human figure being reflected off a window and off of another reflective surface. It was a very small reflection, but it was enough to tell him what was wrong.

"It's a trap!" he shouted, pulling Yang to the ground. No sooner had he done so than a bullet whizzed past her head. Another bullet fired from outside, but Diego managed to deflect it off his gauntlets. He lifted Yang to her feet and pulled her behind a shipping container. A voice called from outside on a megaphone.

"Diego Kapila, this is the Vale Police," the voice said, "Come out with your hands up!"

"Diego, what's going on?" Yang asked, looking skeptically at him. Diego sighed and pulled out his rifle scope. Pressing a button on it, the scope turned into a megaphone of his own and he pointed it towards the entrance.

"Ironwood!" he called, "For the umpteenth time, I am not against you! Are you still going to hold that against me?!"

"You are charged with numerous crimes against Vale, and the whole of Remnant," the voice said.

"I was framed! I didn't want to-"

"Last chance! Come out now, or we're coming in!"

"Diego," Yang gave him with a questioning look, "what is he talking about?"

Diego sighed. "Ironwood and I have a bit of history. I'd hoped that he had put what I did behind him by now, but apparently not."

"Well, why didn't you tell me that you were in trouble with the law?"

"It's not so much the law as it is Ironwood. He's just using the fact that I'm a vigilante as leverage so it's legal."

"What do we do then?"

Diego sighed and spoke into his megaphone.

"Ironwood, I'm not alone. I have a friend with me, one whom I'd prefer not to have harmed. She has nothing to do with this. If you promise not to harm her, I will come out. Do we have a deal?"

There was a pause, then Ironwood said, "Let me speak with her."

Diego handed Yang the megaphone.

"Hello?"

"Mam, are you okay. Is he holding you against your will?"

"No, I am here of my own free will."

"Mam, I need you to come on out. You will not be harmed."

Yang gave the megaphone back to Diego and it turned back into a rifle scope. She looked at him with concern.

"What now?"

"Just do it. I'd rather not have you get hurt over something I did."

Yang nodded and moved out of hiding. In front of her, she saw a group of Vale's police force in front of the warehouse entrance. Some were already moving in slowly. Seeing her, they came up to her and escorted her to "safety" behind the line they had created. One of the men walked forward with those who were advancing towards Diego's crate. He wore a coat of some kind and a pistol was on his belt. Ironwood called out, "She's safe now. Come on out."

Slowly, Diego walked out from behind the crate with his hands behind his back. Several lasers lined up on him and all the police forces aimed their rifles at him.

"Hands in the air," one of the cops ordered. Yang watched, not wanting to believe that he would give up so easily.

Don't do it, she said to herself.

Diego smirked and brought his hands forward. In his hands were several smoke bombs. Yang smiled as he spoke.

"Sorry boys, but my hands are full!"

Diego threw the smoke bombs to the ground, causing a huge multi-colored cloud of smoke to fill the entire warehouse. The police fired wildly at his last position for a few seconds, then stopped and tried to locate him through the smoke. Ironwood in particular was the most wary of the bunch. Suddenly, a shadowy figure leaped out from the smoke and took down the police men around Ironwood. Ironwood fired a few shots, but they all missed. Yang couldn't see much from outside the warehouse, but she correctly guessed that Diego was picking them off one by one. More police moved in, but none came back out...at least not conscious. Soon, she could only hear Ironwood firing his pistol now and then.

"What a waste of bullets," a voice said behind her. Turning, Yang saw Diego leaning against Ironwood's vehicle in a relaxed pose. Yang smiled and shook her head.

"You have a lot of explaining to do once this is over," she said with a smile.

"I agree, but it most likely won't be pretty," Diego replied, "Well, I must go now before he realizes that I'm not in the warehouse anymore. Take care, Yang."

Diego blew a kiss in her direction, then threw down a smoke bomb and disappeared. Yang chuckled. She didn't believe that he was a bad person, not even after tonight. But she did agree that he had something he wasn't telling her yet.

"Well, at least he didn't get hurt," Yang said to herself aloud, "I don't know what I would've done if he-"

She stopped herself in realization of what she was saying.

"No way," she said in denial, then in defeat, "Yang Xiao Long, are you having a crush on Pretty Boy?"

Yang smiled and let out a sigh as she saw Ironwood coming out of the warehouse, before answering her own question.

"Yes, I believe I am."

* * *

Ozpin sat inside his office at Beacon Academy staring out at the city of Vale below. He seemed deep in thought on this particular night. So much was occurring lately that concerned him. He knew that the final battle was fast approaching and victory would soon be decided. But what he currently had wasn't enough. He needed more if they were to stand a chance...

"Calling the cops was the last thing I expected from you Ozpin," a voice said from behind. Turning around, Ozpin saw the form of Diego Kapila walking towards him. A small smile was on his face as he spoke.

"If you wanted to talk, you could've just asked. I would've come."

"Perhaps," Ozpin stated, "Or perhaps you would've ignored us like you have for a few decades."

"Who knows what could have happened, Oz," Diego replied. He then gave the professor a quick hug. "As much as I hated to work with you in the past, it's good to see you again old friend."

Ozpin didn't return the hug, but neither did it seem to bother him nor did he ask Diego to stop. Diego finally pulled away and asked, "So how have things been on your end?"

"We're getting stronger," Ozpin stated, "but the enemy moves fast against us. I'm not sure how or when the next strike will be, but we must be prepared for whatever comes next."

Diego nodded and looked out the window. Down below, he could see a solitary figure returning to Beacon for the night. Even from this distance, he managed to catch a glimpse of golden hair from the figure below. It made him smile, but then his smile soon faded and he let out a sigh.

"I understand that it's for the greater good Ozpin, but I still don't like the idea of recruiting these kids. Many of them are still young and none of them have any clue about the plan. I'd hate to see any of them get hurt, especially-"

Diego stopped himself, but Ozpin already seemed to have caught on to what he was saying.

"I understand that you have some form of a connection with Miss Xiao Long," he said calmly, "You fear for her life, do you?"

"You have no idea," Diego answered. "I thought that I could never feel this way towards anyone ever again after what happened, but Yang proved me wrong. I just don't know if these feelings are only on my end or if she feels the same way towards me. But either way, I don't want to lose her..."

Diego fell silent as he continued to stare out the window. Ozpin paced around the room behind him, sipping from a tea cup.

"Tell me," the professor said, "You are known among us for your combat prowess. In all my life, I have never seen anyone who could fight as well as you do. You remain undefeated in the ring, you cause even the Grimm to fear you, and you can fool even the greatest technology of our day day if it helps you to complete your task. But you never bothered to explain why you do this. So why is it that you fight? If not for the same reasons I do, then for what purposes?"

Diego sighed. "You asked a similar question to me all those years ago. I told you that I'd explain the next time we met, so here goes. When I first met Salem, I was a weak naive fool, easily manipulated by her and used in her own schemes. As a result, I ended up losing my family and those I held dear to me. You want to know why I am so...proficient in combat? Because I was unable to help last time. I don't want to make the same mistakes. I WILL NOT let her win. If I screw up, I will only prove her right and it will be the last screw up I'll ever make, as well as my greatest. And that's why I'm so good at fighting. That's why I never miss. That's why I am undefeated. Because I can't afford to mess up; I can't afford to miss; I can't afford to lose again. Not this time..."

Ozpin was silent as Diego finished letting out his held-back emotions. The boy then straightened and said, "I should get going then."

He started to walk out, but Ozpin called, "Diego..." Diego turned to the Professor.

"It's good to have you back, in a sense."

"Good to be back," Diego sighed. "Just a heads up: the tournament. When it comes around, I'm signing up as a solo team. And I'd like to try the 1v4 challenge if that can be arranged. You don't need to answer my request now, just tell me in your own time. Good night, Professor Ozpin."

Diego left the room without another word and Ozpin let out a sigh. It wouldn't be easy convincing the boy to help them any more than he already was. He had already lost someone the last time.

How willing would he be to help if he lost another?

* * *

Yang looked out the window of her team's bedroom and heaved a sigh. Her teammates had fallen asleep a long ways back, but she herself didn't feel sleepy. She was still thinking about Diego's heist gone wrong. He had escaped alright, but she was still concerned about him as well as curious. What if Ironwood was right? What if he really was a dangerous criminal? Even if he wasn't, why would Ironwood hate him? If only he could answer that for her himself...

A small light flashed below her window and Yang looked down to see the culprit himself signaling her. With a smile, Yang gave him a hand signal asking him to wait for a short moment. She quietly exited her room, moved through the halls, and out into the yard below. Diego was waiting for her patiently and when he saw her approaching, Yang could've sworn that he was gazing at her as if she was some rare beauty he had come across. Diego smiled and said, "Couldn't sleep, could you?"

"Not really," Yang replied, "Plus, I wanted some answers from you."

"I figured you'd ask. So, where do you want to start?"

"How about with tonight and what happened with Ironwood?"

Diego sighed and moved to a nearby bench. "Sit down, Blondie. We need to talk."

Yang obliged and Diego began.

"The first time Ironwood and I met, it wasn't on the best terms. What's worse, I was being manipulated by a dangerous individual, someone who pretended to be my friend. She...mind controlled me more or less and as such, I did many things that crossed too many lines. I regret ever working for her and when I figured out that I had been played, I was devastated. I tried apologizing and making up for what she made me do...but Ozpin was the only one who accepted my apologies. Ironwood...He never truly forgave me. He vowed that the next time we met, he would have me arrested and he even told the most trustworthy of his men about me so they would be on lookout. The fact that I became a vigilante only served to give him some form of justification for my arrest. I hoped that staying away for all those years would cool him down, but you can see how that turned out."

Yang searched his face, but his eyes held no lie. Yet one thing still confused her.

"You make it sound like it happened a long time ago, but it just doesn't seem to add up. You're eighteen, right? So, how does that work?"

Diego gave her a small smile. "I am eighteen, but I've been around much longer than that. It's not technically immortality if that's what you think. More like, being forced to remain a certain age no matter how the years unwind, stretching it out until it becomes almost unbearable. I've stayed like this for...gosh, I can't even know for sure! It's a curse, a real curse." He looked to Yang. "That's all I can tell you for now, but I promise that all questions will be answered eventually. I'm just sorry that I didn't tell you sooner."

Diego sighed and hung his head, but then a hand lifted it up again and he found himself staring into her pretty purple eyes.

"I believe you," Yang said, "and frankly, I understand why you would keep it a secret. I probably would do the same. But I'm glad that you told me. It really helps."

"Thanks Yang," Diego said with a sigh. "You know, I originally wouldn't share this with anyone, unless..." He stopped.

"Unless what?" Yang asked.

"Unless it was with someone I trusted with my life...or someone that I loved."

Diego felt her hand stiffen a bit when he said that, but a smile crossed her face.

"I...have had eyes for you for awhile now," Diego admitted. "At first I tried to shrug it off, but it wouldn't go away. I guess that I didn't want to admit that I could potentially fall in love again, not after all these years. My only fear is that you won't feel the same way..."

Diego waited for her fist in his face or something along those lines, but instead she smiled a little bit more and her hand brushed away a silent tear that had been running down his cheek.

"Well you don't need to worry anymore, Pretty Boy," she said, "because...I do feel the same way."

A small blush spread across her cheeks and Diego let out a small laugh.

"Easy there, Goldilocks. I think that you're falling asleep in Baby Bear's bed for too long," he joked, still not taking his eyes away from her own. Their faces came closer together, and soon they found themselves sharing a kiss. It didn't last for more than five seconds, but when they pulled apart, they were still smiling.

"We're actually going to try this?" Diego asked with a smirk.

"Why not?" Yang replied with her own smirk. "It sounds romantic doesn't it? Two lovers on opposite sides of the law. Sounds just like the kind of adventure I was looking for."

"Fair enough," Diego said, "If you're willing to give it a shot, so am I."

Yang giggled, then brought him into another kiss, this time longer than the first. One of his hands moved up and caressed her cheek and another moved up to her hair. He started stroking it gently, but Yang for once didn't seem to mind that someone was messing with it. When they pulled apart again, Yang said, "You know, you're probably the first person whose face I haven't bashed in for touching my hair."

Diego chuckled, then suddenly his watch started beeping. He looked to it, then back to Yang apologetically.

"Looks like I gotta run. Get some sleep, you'll need it."

"I will," Yang promised. "Good night, Diego Kapila."

"You too, Yang Xiao Long."

They stood up and left in opposite directions, Yang heading back towards Beacon and Diego heading for Vale. They gave each other one last backwards glance before they were out of sight. Yang sighed happily as she made her way back to her room.

This year at Beacon was taking a joyful twist.

* * *

Diego stared in the direction of Beacon from a rooftop far away, smiling lovingly. He had felt something tonight that he had never felt before with anyone before. Not even the last love of his life had made him feel this way. It almost made him guilty, until he remembered what she had told him before her death.

"She would want to see me happy this way," he said to himself. He looked up at the moon.

"I think that you'd like Yang. She's a really sweet girl."

Diego sighed and his smile disappeared for a moment as he turned back to Beacon.

"I won't make the same mistakes with you Yang. It caused too much suffering on both ends the last time, and you deserve better than that. I won't allow her to win. Because this time..."

Diego dropped down into an alley and disappeared into the shadows, out of sight of all eyes.

"I have someone worth fighting for."

* * *

 **Another chapter down, and the romance is already starting!**

 **Hope you enjoyed! I'll see ya next time!**

 **Peace!**


	6. Salem's Visit

**This chapter may reveal a little bit more about Diego's past.**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Diego leaned against a wall in the shadows of an alley as he waited for Yang's arrival. He knew that she probably wouldn't be available all the time, but considering how often she did show up it was best to come prepared. Besides, tonight was hopefully going to be an actual job for him, and would not involve him running into the authorities like last time. Diego chuckled a bit at the thought. Ozpin was a good friend considering what he did, but he certainly knew how to catch Diego's attention if need be. That kinda annoyed him. Why couldn't Ozpin just send a message next time? He knew where Diego liked to go here in Vale, and he hadn't sent any messages before. Though to be fair, Diego did end up ignoring Ozpin's messages the last time, hence the reason Salem had managed to play him as if he was one of her puppets. For that's what he considered all who followed her to be metaphorically, because in a sense it was true. They were her puppets; she owned them. And when they outlived their usefulness, or if they had finished completing their tasks, she would cut their strings. Diego sighed. Yang still didn't know, but it was probably best for the time being. If she knew the extent of his operations as well as Ozpin's...well, with Ozpin, he couldn't know for sure. Himself, she might be a little more flexible, but she would definitely be demanding why he didn't tell her sooner. The thought made him chuckle.

"You seem in a good mood tonight," a female's voice said from behind. Diego stiffened and bit back a curse. He knew that voice all too well, and it chilled him to the bone. Regretfully, hesitantly, he turned to face the person in question. He found himself facing an orb of glass positioned on a floating pedestal. Connected to the pedestal were several tentacles with a spike at the end. Inside the orb, the face of the devil herself could be seen. Diego put on a smirk and addressed his former "friend" with mock joy.

"Salem, my dear!" Diego greeted, his tone mocking her with every word, "My, you certainly have managed to keep yourself as beautiful as ever all these years. In fact, you look younger every day. What's your secret?"

Salem smiled and said casually, "Oh, you know. The blood of humankind, the souls of the innocent, and the tears of the heartbroken. It's surprisingly effective when combined."

Diego shuddered. "How anyone can exist with your heartless nature is beyond me. You made that sound SO unsettling on so many levels."

Salem laughed and changed her tone as one of the tentacles reached out and started to give Diego's cheek a creepy caress.

"Aww, did I scare you?" Salem asked in a flirtatious tone, "I didn't know that you preferred to watch everyone live happily ever after. Why didn't you tell me?"

Another tentacle reached out towards Diego, but he swatted it and the other one away as if swatting away flies.

"Touch me again," Diego warned, "and your globe thingy will have one less tentacle to use on it."

"Why, whatever did I do to deserve your bitterness, my sweet Diego?" Salem asked in mock hurt. Diego looked to her with hatred in his eyes.

"I think you already know the answer to that one."

He turned his back on her, but Salem evidently wasn't finished talking with him yet.

"Why fight for them?" she taunted, "You know that victory won't be achieved through strength. They will fail, and darkness will consume all of Remnant. But must you die with them? You were once special to me Diego, so I still have some flexibility concerning you. I can spare you from the carnage that will follow. You will never have to fear for your life, and all you ever wanted will be yours if you wish it. Imagine it: living undisturbed by all, not a care in the world. Maybe I can throw in a favor for you and bring her back. What's it going to be?"

Diego sighed as the image Salem gave to him came to mind. It sounded like a good deal. His life spared and all he ever wanted granted to him. Even a chance to have his former fiance come back to him. It sounded too good to be true. But Diego was no fool. Past that illusion, he saw only death and destruction. Salem usually gave empty promises, promises she had no intention of fulfilling; however, she always did seem to make an exception with Diego. Could her trust her? She sounded so sincere this time, so understanding towards him, as if she actually cared about what happened to him...

A different figure came to mind that blotted out all traces of Salem's offer: a golden-haired Huntress with purple eyes and a cute smile that made her seem all the more beautiful. Her voice was like music to his ears, her form like a rare flower with a beauty he couldn't help but admire... even her quick temper seemed to calm his nerves as he remembered her. Diego smiled at the image of Yang in his mind. She may not have had much to give him and she certainly couldn't work miracles like Salem, but she was definitely worth more than anything Salem could ever offer him. And Diego wasn't about to lose something so precious in exchange for a promise that he knew Salem would most likely double cross him with. No, if he ever did achieve such a life, without Yang it would be pointless, empty even. He wouldn't trade her away for all of the things that he ever wanted. Because with Yang, he had what he needed instead.

Diego turned to Salem abruptly. In one swift motion, he grabbed all of the tentacles on the orb and pulled the orb close to his face, anger flashing in his eyes. Salem seemed surprised at this action, but Diego could see another emotion in her eyes, one which she used against her enemies and rarely experienced herself: fear.

"Listen very carefully, you disease-ridden parasite," he said through clenched teeth, "What you and I had together was fun while it lasted, but on the whole, it was the worst mistake of my life. It's over between us. I will NEVER bow to your will again! So take my advice and leave. Me. Alone! And in case you're hard of hearing, then just read my lips! Or better yet, take _this_ as a warning shot..."

Diego pulled back his one free hand and punched the glass orb hard, causing it to crack. He did this several times, until it shattered completely. He then pulled out a knife and cut all of the tentacles off at once, letting the entire contraption before him fall apart. As it hit the ground, it disintegrated and disappeared completely, evaporating into a darkness that was scattered into the wind. Diego took a few seconds to compose himself, letting all his anger disappear and turn into sadness. He fell to his knees as if exhausted and started to cry silently, but he stopped when he heard a familiar motor in the distance. Trying to compose himself, Diego stood his feet and wiped away his tears as he turned to see the familiar face of the Huntress on the motorcycle. He put on a smile and said, "You have no idea how relived I am to see a friendly face right now."

But at first, Yang didn't answer him. Instead, she seemed to be examining his face. Diego tried to seem casual, but eventually broke and said aloud, "Yes, I was crying."

"Why?" Yang asked, a tone of concern in her voice, "What happened?"

"I had a bad run in with a painfully familiar face. She made me remember too much about my-"

"She?" Yang raised an eyebrow.

"An old girlfriend in a sense, one whom I wish I had never met." Diego struggled to keep his composure, but his tears had returned and he was already failing. "I may not look it most of the time, but under that mask I wear, under the smiles I put on for show...I'm broken inside. I lost everything to _her._ She played me like a fool and I was dumb enough to fall for it! I- I never wanted any part of her war. I'm sorry...I know you probably don't understand it now, but I'm sorry for everything!"

Diego fell back down to his knees once more, sobbing uncontrollably now and not caring that Yang was watching anymore. Yang was stunned by this sudden change of mood in Diego. She never thought that he could be so insecure at times like this. Underneath that exterior, he was still like a child, one who had suffered much pain and guilt inside. She may not have understood what was wrong with him, but she could at least try her best to stand by him.

Diego heard Yang kneeling down to his level, followed by her arms wrapping around him in a gentle embrace. He returned the hug gladly, letting out all of the pain he had built up inside of him all these years. His face was partially buried in her hair, but she didn't mind.

"It's okay," she whispered to him, "I'm here. I won't leave you."

She repeated this over and over to him, bringing back a sweet memory from his past...

 _A Faunus girl around his age, giving him the same comfort...  
Repeating the same words to him..._

Diego managed a small smile as he hugged Yang a little tighter. He was thankful that such a caring person could ever be in his life again. When Salem had betrayed him, he had felt that he could never experience such joy again. Yang not only proved him wrong, but she also proved that he had a chance to begin life anew.

This time, he wasn't gonna let Salem ruin it.

* * *

The dark being known as Salem sat at her table, still in shock at what he had done. Not only did he openly defy her, but he also dared to attack her orb. He certainly had improved since they last met. Salem remembered how he used to be so scared to even touch one of her Beowolves without some coaxing. A smile managed to cross her face. Those were fun times with him. He had made it seem like there was a chance for them to be together forever, perhaps even to let him rule by her side.

Until the day that she had been forced to put her plans into action.

Salem sighed in remembrance. The look of horror on his face, the grief he had held as he watched the Faunus girl die in his arms, the anger he had expressed towards her when he finally had registered it all. "Murderer!" he had screamed, "How could you pretend to be my friend? Or even more than that?! You- you MONSTER!" His rage had caused her Grimm to back away in fear. Fear. The very thing they thrived off of had been used against them. And he had made them run from him with that same emotion. Salem had tried to talk to him, but he made her leave too. It wasn't a pleasant memory, running in fear from a mortal whom she could've crushed easily. And yet...there was more to him than she had anticipated. He had used her own powers...against her. How was that even possible? Obtaining her power? It would have been beautiful for her if she hadn't been running away. She may not have remembered the last time she was ever afraid, but that day she could distinctly remember hearing her own screams as she faded away into the night.

Salem sighed again, and a single silent tear fell from her eyes. Where it splashed on the ground, a tiny creature emerged. It was like the Grimm, a Beowolf to be precise, but instead of darkness and malice making up it's being, it was something more...beautiful. Salem let out another sigh and picked up the creature. Normally, she should destroy such a creature. It defied her very being. But instead, she carried it out to a restricted part of her fortress which none of her followers were permitted entry. Opening a door, she revealed a room full of more of the creatures, each a different species of Grimm. Gently, she set it down and then closed the door. Salem let out one last sigh, then regained her composure.

"I must continue with the plan," she muttered to herself. "Still there are times where I wish..."

Salem walked away from the doors and back to her throne.

"I wish I could take it all back...for him..."

* * *

 **Oh! Looks like Salem may have a soft spot after all!**

 **Review, follow, and I'll see you in the next chapter!**

 **Cya!**


	7. Blake's Visit and Salem's Other Visit

**Again, this may be short, but I honestly don't care too much. For quite a while in the actual series, they had short episodes before they slowly moved to longer ones, so I'm not too worried.**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Diego sat in the shadows of an alley, observing the streets before him. He gave a small smile as he watched the few citizens that were still up at this hour going about their lives. It was good to be back in business, but he sometimes felt that he wasn't actually helping these people.

"If it wasn't for me, this war we fight would never have happened," Diego muttered to himself with a sigh.

Just then, he heard very soft footsteps from above him on the roof. He tensed himself and quietly adjusted his position in the alley just enough so that it seemed as if he hadn't heard anything, but also so he could get a better view of whoever was on the roof. Looking up, Diego just managed to catch a glimpse of a certain feature that he knew belonged to a certain Faunus he had comforted not too many days ago: a black bow which he knew hid a pair of cat ears. Diego smiled in a friendly way and he leaned against the alley wall.

"I can hear you moving," he said aloud. At first there was no response, then a figure dropped to the ground before him. Diego smiled a tad bit more, for his guess had been correct. Blake gave him a small smile of her own.

"You're Diego Kapila, aren't you?" she asked, trying to confirm that she was talking to the right man.

"In the flesh," Diego replied with a bow. "What are you doing out here this late?"

"I wanted to talk to you, and Yang told me that I could probably find you somewhere around here."

"Did she now?" Diego shook his head with an amused expression on his face. "Looks like Goldilocks memorized the path to the Three Bears' house. I guess that's one of the consequences I'll have to face for giving her that much information."

Blake smiled in response to the joke he made about Yang.

"Do you call her that often?" she inquired.

"More than you'd think," Diego said, "She calls me Pretty Boy or Dancy Pants in return. It makes me happy inside whenever I hear her speak with such a cheerful demeanor. I can understand why anyone would find her to be a good companion."

"As long as they don't touch the hair," Blake said with a chuckle.

"In most cases," Diego said a bit quieter than before. Blake turned to look at him, and she then seemed to realize what he implied.

"Wait, you two aren't-"

"Yes, or at the least we're giving it a shot," Diego said, not waiting for her to finish.

Blake was silent for a moment, then said, "Well, I'm not gonna question it much. It's not my place. Besides, you seem like a nice guy and you gave me some comfort on the night when they figured out what I was. I guess that your reputation is clean among us for now."

"Let's hope it stays that way," Diego said. He looked back to the streets of Vale, noticing a small group of shady individuals. Peering more closely, Diego spotted a few concealed weapons on their persons and none of them seemed like they were just passing by. The group turned to Diego and Blake, and one of them motioned towards them. The group headed for the alley and Diego had a sickening feeling of why they were here.

"What is it?" Blake asked, noticing his troubled look.

"We've got company," he said bluntly, as he secretly got his gauntlets and greaves ready for activation. The thugs came to the alley, blocking any escape, and one of them looked to Diego.

"Sir," the thug said, "I need you to step away from the girl."

"Why?" Diego asked, "She's my friend. Is there a problem?"

"Sir," the thug stated, "do you realize that your friend is a Faunus? A sympathizer of the White Fang?"

Blake's hands went to her weapon and she prepared herself for a fight. Diego simply stared at the thug.

"She _is_ a Faunus; I am well aware of that detail. However, she is not a sympathizer of the White Fang. Now that they have resorted to violent means, I doubt she'd prefer to stay out of their affairs. Just because she's a Faunus doesn't mean that she's with the White Fang."

The thug gave Diego a shove. "She's dangerous, and must be dealt with before she can cause any damage."

The thug started walking towards Blake, who had drawn her sword and was ready to fight. However, before the thug could go much farther, Diego grabbed him and shoved him back towards his friends., then positioned himself between them and Blake. His expression held a dangerous glare.

"There's only two ways this can end fellas," Diego warned. "The first option involves you walking away and pretending this never happened. The second option sees all of you in the hospital, or even in body bags if it gets that bad. Take your pick."

The thugs didn't take Diego seriously...until he smacked the first one in the face, sending him flying several feet. The other thugs pulled out swords or pistols and attacked as well, but Diego dodged or parried all of their attacks, usually in a dance-like manner. This seemed to confuse the thugs enough to the point that they didn't notice Blake rushing in to attack as well. She ended up easily taking down the ones with guns while Diego was busy toying with the remaining thugs in melee combat. It was clear that he was the superior fighter, but he was messing around with the thugs as well. Eventually, the thugs gave up and ran off in fear.

"And don't come back!" Diego shouted after them. He then turned to Blake. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," Blake responded, sheathing her weapon. "Thanks for standing up for me."

"But of course," Diego said, "Who wouldn't stand up for a friend?"

"Friend?" Blake looked to him as if wondering if she had heard him right.

"The way I see it, since you are one of Yang's teammates, that makes you a friend of mine. Even the one that can be a handful, due to her heritage and wealth," Diego replied. Just then, he heard police sirens in the distance. Apparently, the scuffle hadn't gone unnoticed.

"Whoo! You'd better get going," Diego said to Blake. "The last thing you're gonna want is for the cops to start questioning you about this."

"I understand," Blake said, "Thanks again Diego. I wish more humans were as accepting to the Faunus as you are."

Diego sighed as she took off back in the direction of Beacon.

"So do I, my cousin. So do I..."

* * *

Diego watched as the police scanned the area for any signs of activity. But other than the injured thugs and a bunch of empty bullet shells, they didn't find anything else and soon left the place. Diego leaned back against a ventilation pipe on the rooftop and smiled.

"Another day in the office," he said aloud. "I wonder if this rabble can offer any real challenge. But who knows? Maybe someday that could become a reality. Wouldn't it surprised with my luck."

Diego looked towards Beacon Academy in the distance and his smile faded.

"No matter which side I look at, neither seems right to me," Diego muttered. "On the one hand, Salem wishes to destroy everything in Remnant, down to the smallest innocent creature. On the other hand, if doesn't seem right for Ozpin to recruit them this way. I don't know which side to help out..."

Diego sighed again, but then an idea came to him.

"For now, Ozpin is the lesser of two evils. I'll help him out for now, but if he gives me reason to question his intentions, he'll have one less ally to rely on."

"I thought that you didn't care about the fight," a female voice said behind him. Diego heard it, but didn't turn around yet.

"Didn't I tell you to leave me alone, Salem?" Diego seethed.

"I've told you before, I'm not one to follow orders given by another," Salem's voice said. "Besides, I wanted to talk to you at least one more time before it all goes downhill."

"And why should I listen to you?" Diego demanded. "You pretended to be my friend, but then you turned it all around that night. I would've stayed your loyal friend, follower even, but you had to ruin it. And now you taunt me with your messages, reminding me of what we threw away! You don't even bother to appear in person to deliver any of your messages, and that makes it worst off! Are you that selfish, that cruel, that you have to have your messages delivered to me by a Grimm? The very things that I despise more than you? You don't even care about what happens to-"

Diego suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked to it and saw that the hand belonged to one whom he hadn't seen in the flesh for who-knew-how-long.

 _She can't be..._

Diego turned around and to his surprise, he found himself face to face with Salem herself. She stood with a neutral expression on her face, staring at him intently. But was it real? Daring to hope, his hand reached forward and the back of if brushed against her cheek. While his skin crawled slightly in remembrance of who it was, at the same time it was a pleasant feeling.

"I figured that I should make an exception for tonight," Salem said, a smile crossing her face. Yet, it wasn't like the evil smiles she usually gave off; this time, it held genuine kindness in it, something that Diego hadn't seen since their last night together. Even her eyes held the same look, which was a stark contrast in all with her usual nature. But Diego knew that it was genuine.

"Salem," he said in a whisper, his hand brushing against her cheek again, "You actually came..."

The dark lady's smile became a little warmer.

"I couldn't stay away any longer," she said. Her own hand came up and held his to her cheek, and a smile finally crossed the boy's face. His hand turned around and the palm of it caressed her cheek now.

"Even after what I said yesterday," he remarked, "I won't lie when I say it's good to see you again in person, my dear."

Salem was silent, but her smile still remained. She soon found herself in the boy's embrace, which she returned without hesitation. Her eyes closed and a peaceful sigh escaped her. She then pulled away to look him in the eyes.

"Diego," she said with sadness, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I- I shouldn't have put you through such pain. What I did that night-"

"I know," he whispered, "but we can't change it now. I just wish we could've managed to move past the unnecessary conflict. But we can't change the past. All we can do is improve for the future."

Salem gave him another smile, and a few tears fell from her eyes. Diego wiped away a few of them, but one managed to hit the ground, creating another of the beautiful Grimm-like creatures that Salem had locked away in her fortress. Diego noticed this and smiled in amusement as Salem picked it up. Instead of destroying it like she would or should, she instead made it disappear from view as it returned to the fortress.

"I see that you still hold some form of affection for me," Diego said kindly. Salem nodded, then turned to look towards Beacon. She didn't say anything, but Diego could tell that she was musing over the future fight ahead.

"I know that this was short, but I must leave soon," she said bluntly, yet with a hint of wistfulness.

"Before you do, tell me this," Diego asked, "You offered to keep me alive, free from the destruction you plan to cause. Did you mean it when you said that? Or was it another means to get me to come back?"

Salem was silent for a moment, then replied with genuine sadness, "My dear Diego, I would sacrifice all of the Grimm in Remnant and beyond if it spared your life. We may have broken apart long ago, but you are still precious enough in my sight to be given a blind eye in most cases."

Diego nodded, knowing that Salem spoke the truth. Then she asked him something.

"If I hadn't caused our rift, would you have still fought by me if you knew what I had planned to do?"

Diego walked over to her and held her hand in his.

"I would've stayed with you till the end of time if permitted. You may deny it, but even now as was the case back then, I know that there's some good in you that doesn't want to do this. Why else would you not destroy the creatures created by your tears, the ones that defy your nature? Because there's still a part of you that sticks to what I gave to you then."

Salem was silent once more, then started to walk away signaling the end of the conversation. Just before she disappeared for good, she asked him one more question.

"Do you suppose, that maybe, if we hadn't broken apart, we could've-?"

"Perhaps, in another life," Diego said sadly, not turning around towards her, "but not in this life. We threw away that chance too early in the game. But if I could have changed that, then I would've changed it. For both of us."

Diego heard a portal open up behind him, then silence as the dark lady disappeared for the night.

"I'm sorry," he said, "but it's time we moved on. I've already got someone else in my life to look after."

Diego jumped down from the roof into the streets below, then disappeared into the shadows.

"This time, I won't make the same mistakes. And this time, I cannot let you take her from me. As you did with _her_..."

* * *

 **Wow! They have quite the history, don't they?**

 **Just for fun, I think I'm gonna be making a new story, which is a series of one-shots involving my main OC from other stories, TD. In these one-shots, he will be doing one-on-one battles (with exceptions of those who always work in teams) against heroes and villains across different franchises, both OC's and non-OC's. If you're interested, let me know through a PM and I might have a place on the list for the character in mind. Keep in mind though, there is a high probability that your OC will lose in the fight, for the idea is to see how they would fare against TD and not necessarily if they could beat him, and vice versa.**

 **Hope you enjoyed this, and I'll see you guys later!**


	8. Calm Before the Storm

**I keep this story going. This time, it's gonna be a more episode-based chapter (or chapters) as the tournament comes closer and some troubles are being investigated beyond the city.**

 **Please enjoy!**

* * *

Two teenage kids, a boy and a girl, walked out of a shop that was labeled "Tukson's Book Trade." The boy was reading a book he had in his hands, the girl wasn't. It seemed normal, except that there was one detail that nobody else saw. The shop's interiors had been darkened to hide the deed that they had just committed. Tukson, the manager, had just been assaulted by the two and they were trying to leave before anyone noticed. Their names were Emerald and Mercury, and they were in town on business with one of their own. Emerald stretched, then looked to the boy.

"What's with that?" she asked concerning the book.

"Eh, I like the pictures," the boy said.

They started to walk away, but stopped when a voice said from behind, "Now what did that Faunus ever do to you?"

The two turned around to see a boy leaning against the shop itself, looking slightly down at the ground. He was wearing all black and a mask covered his face. However, a symbol stood out on a cape he wore: a disco ball surrounded on all sides by Faunus and humans. The two may not have known much about him, let alone his real name, but they could recognize that symbol anywhere.

The symbol of the Dancing Rogue.

Diego smiled as if the two were old friends and said, "You need to work on your subtlety kids. I knew that there was trouble brewing a mile away when the lights dimmed. It's not even closing time yet."

Emerald gave him a smile, while Mercury simply smirked and put his book away.

"If you know what's best for you," Emerald stated, "you will leave and pretend this never happened. Otherwise, we'll make you leave."

"Listen to the lady," Mercury added, much to Emerald's annoyance. However, Diego wasn't the least bit intimidated.

"You can try," he said with a confident smile, "but I doubt that you have what it takes to beat me."

Mercury's response was to charge the rogue with Emerald close behind him. Mercury attempted to land a kick on Diego, but Diego sidestepped out of harm's way and then deflected Emerald's attack a second later. He then tried landing his own blow, only to have Emerald step out of the way and Mercury getting ready to land a blow on the hopefully confused rogue. Unfortunately for Mercury, Diego had expected this, and grabbed the boy's leg in midair, twisted around in a way that allowed him to pass out of the danger zone and took the boy's leg off in the process. Mercury let out a cry, not out of pain, for his legs were fake, but out of surprise. Emerald, deciding that the shenanigans were over, pulled out her weapons and struck at the Dancing Rogue. However, Diego easily parried his blows and disarmed her in a matter of seconds. He then hit her with a punch hard enough to knock her to the ground and think twice about rising. Diego looked them in the eye and said, "Next time you attack a citizen's shop, be he human or Faunus, check the area more carefully. You may realize that he's under my protection."

As he finished speaking, Diego pointed to a symbol identical to the one on his cape, which was almost unseen from the front of the shop. But if one looked hard enough, the disco ball and the figures surrounding it could be seen clearly. Emerald and Mercury were silent, for they were still surprised that he had beaten them. Diego sighed sadly and walked into the shop, coming out with the body of Tukson a moment later. A sympathetic look was on Diego's face as he looked to the dead figure in his arms. He then leaped impossibly high onto the rooftops and in the direction of the wilderness outside Vale.

Where he would be buried with all the others Diego had collected...

* * *

"Why do you have this address?" Roman asked the two kids in front of him. They were in a secret location where the White Fang were setting up their base of operations. Roman obviously had been looking for them all day, and he had discovered at least where the two had gone. Emerald pointed a finger at him and leaned forward a bit.

"Wouldn't you like to know," she scoffed.

"Yeah, I would. Now, where have you been all day?"

"Cleaning up your problems," Mercury stated. "One of them at least."

"I had that under control," Roman growled.

"Two packed bags and a ticket out of Vale said otherwise."

"Listen you little punk! If it were up to me, I would take you and your little street rat friend here, and I would-"

"Do what, Roman?" a female voice asked. Looking up where the voice had come from, Roman saw a woman standing over him on a platform above their heads. She was dressed in red with gold edging on the arms and neck collar. She had black hair, auburn eyes, and currently was looking at him with a stern expression.

Her name was Cinder, and she was the same woman who had attacked Ruby Rose when she had first run into Roman and Diego.

Roman laughed nervously as Cinder's platform lowers and allowed her to come to his level.

"I'd...not kill them?" he said, as if a bit afraid of her.

"Cinder!" Emerald called as she walked towards them. Cinder walked past her to Roman.

"I thought that I made it clear that you were to eliminate the would-be runaway," she said to Roman.

"I was going to," Roman started.

" _He_ was going to escape to Vaculo," Emerald finished. "Mercury and I took it upon ourselves to kill the rat."

"I think he was some sort of cat, actually," Mercury stated.

"What? Like a puma?" Emerald asked.

"Yeah, there you go."

"Quiet," Cinder ordered. She did not look pleased. "Did I not specifically instruct you two to keep your hands clean while in Vale?"

Roman started to laugh at them.

"I just...thought-" Emerald said sheepishly.

"Don't think. Obey."

Behind Cinder, Roman made a throat slicing motion. Emerald lowered her head and said, "Yes mam. It won't happen again."

"And you," Cinder turned to Roman, who chuckled nervously, "Why wasn't this job done sooner?"

Roman gestured to the crates behind him, putting emphasis on showing them off.

"Sorry if I've been a little busy stealing every speck of Dust in the kingdom!" Roman stated. "And the fact that the Dancing Rogue was interfering with my operations didn't exactly help!"

"Wait...who?" Cinder asked, suddenly interested, but there was also a hint of surprise in her voice.

"We got attacked by him after dealing with Tukson," Mercury piped up.

"He's here?" Cinder asked no one in particular, a tone of fear in her voice.

"Cinder? What's wrong? Do you know him" Emerald asked. Cinder looked back to the kids and sighed.

"We were once partners," she said, "until he betrayed us. His involvement...this is a cause for concern, but nothing to panic over."

"Oh sure!" Roman complained, "How am I supposed to do another smooth Dust robbery with him around?"

"We don't, because we won't need to. We're done with Dust," Cinder said bluntly. "We're moving. Have the White Fang clear out this building. I'll send you details and coordinates tonight."

"Coordinates?" Roman asked.

"We're proceeding to phase two," Cinder stated, then she started to walk out of the warehouse. She was followed by Emerald and Mercury. Once they were a significant distance away from the warehouse, Cinder walked into an alley behind the place and came across a familiar sight: a Grimm known as a Seer, the same thing that Salem had used to communicate with Diego. Salem's face was seen in the crystal ball that made up part of the creature's form and she seemed amused.

"Everything is going according to plan," Cinder said to Salem. Salem looked more closely at Cinder, then her amused smile increased.

"Why the fear in your eyes, Cinder?" Salem asked. Cinder was surprised at the question, but still managed to answer.

" _He's_ here! In Vale," Cinder started, "We need to-"

"I am aware of this, Cinder," Salem replied, much to Cinder's surprise, "And it changes nothing. Proceed as planned. Even _he_ can't stop what has begun."

Cinder bowed and said, "I will not fail you. Even if I have to kill him myself, I will-"

Suddenly, one of the Seer's tentacles grabbed Cinder forcefully and pulled her closer to look Salem in the eyes. Her expression had changed from amused to anger. Mercury and Emerald were startled, but made no effort to help Cinder escape.

"Diego Kapila is not to be harmed," Salem said slowly and clearly, "IF you combat him, bring him to me ALIVE and preferably in good health. Anyone who disobeys me will suffer greatly for their ignorance. Understand?"

Cinder nodded, though she seemed to regret having to agree with Salem. The Grimm released her, then disappeared through a sickly portal that appeared behind it. Cinder sighed, then looked to Emerald and Mercury.

"You're not seriously going to listen to her on this, are you?" they asked.

"Of course not," Cinder replied, "We'll have to make it look like an accident though. He will not be spared."

They started walking away as Cinder finished her thoughts.

"Not after he betrayed us..."

* * *

Salem sighed as the image of Cinder disappeared before her. She knew that Cinder would most likely not comply with her order, but it was all she could do at the moment. She sighed again and looked to something next to her kept secret from the others: a faded picture which showed her and Diego side-by-side, almost like best friends.

"I can't allow you to interfere," she said softly, putting the picture away.

"But I won't let you perish as well..."

* * *

"Ironwood certainly loves a grand entrance, like myself," Diego said with a sigh as he watched the fleet landing with the general's ship. It annoyed him to see the army of Vale practically at his doorstep.

"That complicates things a bit, doesn't it?" he said aloud, "Did he bring the entire army with him or is he _that_ desperate to get rid of me?" A smile crossed his face at the thought. "Not that it would matter. I could take the whole army on singlehandedly if I tried. Unfortunately, that would ruin my reputation among the citizens...and Ozpin."

Diego sighed as he waited for nightfall. The only way he could get past this force undetected was to stay low and try to keep his involvement secret from Ironwood. The last thing he wanted was a fight with the general...again.

 **That night...**

 _Can't he give me a moment's peace?_ he thought to himself that night. He crept quietly along the campus grounds of Beacon, slipping in and out of the shadows, until he had finally reached where he wanted to be: underneath Team RWBY's window. Quietly, he pulled out a radio of some kind and activated the bug in the room, hoping to get something good.

"...Our enemies aren't just gonna sit around and wait for graduation day! They are out there, somewhere, planning their next move, and none of us know what it is, but it's coming! Whether we're ready or not."

"Okay! All in favor of becoming the youngest huntresses to single-handely bring down a corrupt organization conspiring against the kingdom of Vale... say 'aye.'"

"Yes!" Yang's voice shouted. "I love it when you're fiesty!"

"Well," Weiss stated, "I suppose it could be fun."

"None of you said 'aye.'"

Diego chuckled, but he was also very interested.

 _So, Team RWBY is looking into things that are bothering Remnant even if it's not at their skill level_ , He thought to himself. _How convenient! Well, better make sure that becomes a reality for them._

Diego walked towards the doors of Beacon and slowly opened them. As expected, there was no one to greet him this late at night, but he knew that at least one person would be around to see him. Sneaking along quietly through the halls, he eventually came to the top where Ozpin's office was located and requested entrance.

"Enter," Ozpin said on an intercom outside the door. Diego obliged and saw the Hunter sitting at his desk with an amused smile in his face.

"Coming onto school grounds as a vigilante is usually begging for your arrest Diego," Ozpin stated, "but I'm willing to let it slide this time around."

"Like you ever would have me arrested Oz," Diego replied. He then dropped the bomb. "I've been investigating the movement patterns of the White Fang, and I think I know where they will be next time. They're planning something big and your Huntresses from Team RWBY are interested in looking into the matter."

Oz nodded and took a sip from his mug. "I know what you're suggesting Diego, but wouldn't that be breaking a few rules?"

"For you perhaps, but I am not asking you to break any rules. After all, that's my job. However, even if you do nothing, they'll still go investigate when it shows if I know anything about them. What I'm suggesting is this: don't break the rules, bend them a bit."

Ozpin still held a neutral expression. "And if they can't handle it themselves?"

"I'll be heading out of town for awhile, due to work. Not sure when, but I know that they'll be involved when I do. I may not support your methods of recruitment, but I also said to you once that I feel obligated to protect your Hunters and Huntresses, just as they're obligated to defend all the people of Remnant. They'll be in very capable hands Oz should it ever come to what I'm thinking."

Diego stood in silence as he waited for Ozpin's answer. He didn't say it aloud, but the main reason why he was going to help Team RWBY out was because of Yang. Sure his operations may conveniently have led him to the same area, but even if they didn't he would still attempt to find any excuse to keep an eye on Yang and her team. After what seemed an eternity, Ozpin gave him a smile.

"Alright Diego, we'll bend a few rules this time. It will definitely be interesting to say the least. Thank you for voicing your concerns."

Diego nodded and started to walk away. But as he did, Ozpin called out to him.

"You say that you're obligated to protect the Hunters and Huntresses Diego, but if your skills aren't enough, then who will protect _you_?"

Diego hesitated for a moment, then continued out of the room. Once outside, he sighed and leaned his head against the wall. Ozpin was right about one thing; he could only do so much to protect them. Who would save them if he wasn't around? And if he ended up in need of a savior himself? Who could or would save him?

Diego sighed again and walked back down the halls to the doors. Leaving through them, he took one look back at Team RWBY's window. Through the window, he could just see the golden hair of his precious Goldilocks. Diego managed a small smile before continuing on into the night.

"I don't know how to answer your question Oz," he said aloud to himself, "but I do know this much: I WILL protect Yang Xiao Long, as well as her friends and family."

Diego disappeared into the shadows of the night, back towards the city.

"Even at the cost of my life..."

* * *

Watching Yang bust through the doors of Junior's club made Diego laugh a lot at the thought of seeing Junior's face upon seeing her return. It was the best thing he had seen all night. However, it was also enough to bring some form of concern back to him. Yang and her team were good, but didn't know these guys like he did. He knew who they most likely were supported by and how dangerous he could be.

"Even I have had a hard time trying to catch him," he muttered to himself, "What chance do they stand?" He slapped himself. "Snap out of it, Diego! They've got a fair chance at it, so why not see what they can do?"

Just then, a large robot of some kind rushed through the streets chasing down two figures who were running for their life. Diego only needed to take a quick glance to know who they were: Blake and Sun. A motor engine revved up and Diego heard the sound of a motorcycle driving about at top speeds. A smile came across his face.

"Finally, some action!"

Diego leaped from rooftop to rooftop at inhuman speeds, using his Aura to enhance his speeds to the same speeds of the robot, if not faster. Up ahead, he saw the robot reach the highway and get into a short confrontation with Team RWBY and their friends. The robot fell off the bridge as Weiss caused it to slip on an icy section she created. Diego took one more leap and landed next to the girls, who had just dropped down ready for combat.

"Diego!" the girls all shouted as one.

"Hi girls! Hope I'm not late to the party!" Diego greeted. He then turned to Roman.

"Roman, my friend! Long time no see! Did you miss me?"

The only response was the robot moving forward towards them.

"Freezerburn!" Ruby shouted, as she and Blake back off. Diego at first was wondering what they were doing, but as soon as Yang leaped into the air to deliver the needed blow, he understood. Acting quickly, he let the fog that appeared cover the area, then used it to get closer to the robot. Roman's sensors clearly didn't register his presence, because the robot didn't react as he got up to its legs and waited. The robot fired a few rounds into the fog cover in an attempt to hit Ruby's teamates, but without much success. Diego chose then to strike. looking carefully at the legs, his gauntlets activated and he delivered several well-aimed punches to the robot. The robot staggered, but still stood strong. It turned it's attention to Diego, who was forced to dodge the attacks made by the robot. Diego observed this fighting style the robot was forced to make. The attacks were slow enough to dodge if you were quick enough, but one blow from it could ruin your night. He decided not to have his night ruined yet. As he stepped back, several rockets fired from the robot as Weiss placed a rune thingy on the ground beneath Blake, granting her the speed needed to slice them out of the air with wind currents. A few came towards Diego, who simply smirked and allowed them to hit him. When the dust cleared, he was completely unharmed. The group was surprised, but managed to keep themselves composed.

"Ladybug!" Ruby called, as she and Blake rushed back and forth beneath the robot, landing strikes at the robot. Diego watched as they attacked.

"Strike one... Strike two... Ball... Ball..." Blake and Ruby struck off an arm on the robot. "Strike three! He's out!"

Yang jumped onto the back of the robot and started landing several punches to its hull, but the robot suddenly backed into several concrete pillars and knocked her off. Then, before she could hit the ground, the robot struck her with a giant fist that sent her flying through yet another concrete pillar. Diego winced when he saw that, even though he knew that she'd be fine. Yang stood back up to her feet, her hair glowing and her eyes red in color. The robot threw another punch, but Yang blocked it, using her Semblance to absorb the power from the previous blow. She then threw a punch at the arm, causing it to shatter and leaving it armless.

"Yeah! You go, girl!" Diego cheered.

The cheer was short lived, however, as Roman kicked her away. Ruby was quick to react though.

"Bumblebee!" she shouted, and Blake threw her weapon to Yang while holing onto the ribbon-like cord at the end. Yang grabbed it, then extended it to it's limit as she swung back around and delivered a quick blow to the robot.

"We have to slow it down!" Ruby shouted, looking to Diego.

"Thought you'd never ask," he replied with a smile. Drawing out two pistols, he set a dial on each to a setting labeled "cold", then fired off several rounds into the robot, encasing it in ice. As soon as he did, Yang came back around and delivered a final blow to the robot, shattering it completely. Roman stood up out of the wreckage and growled.

"Just got this thing cleaned!" he complained, before facing down Yang and Diego, who happened to be standing side-by-side now. Yang fired a shot at Roman, but a figure jumped into the way and blocked the attack with, of all things, a parasol. Diego was not one to let his prey escape so easily, so he fired several more shots from his revolver pistols at them, all which the girl with the parasol blocked or deflected. Roman smirked.

"Ladies. Ice Queen-"

"Hey!"

"-and Dancy Pants. Always a pleasure. Neo, if you would."

"Neo" made a bow as she smiled in their directions. Diego, knowing what they were planning, leaped quickly at them, not realizing that Yang was doing the same. Their fists both collided with Neo, but when they did her image and that of Roman's shattered like glass, signifying that they were gone. Looking up in frustration, Diego just saw them leaving in an airship in the opposite direction they had come from. He fired a few shots at the ship, but none of them did much to alter its course. Diego sighed as he heard the girls talking. As much as he wanted to stay and listen or at least talk to Yang for a moment, he could hear police sirens approaching. Which meant he had to leave. Without a word, Diego slipped into the shadows and was gone.

* * *

"Well that was rude of you to leave without a goodbye," Yang stated later on as they sat on a bench in the shadow of an alley.

"Sorry, but when cops get involved, I'm usually gone," Diego said, "The less I have to deal with the authorities, the better."

"I wish you didn't have to live on the run from the law, ya know?" Yang said to him, looking into his eyes. "It would make things a lot easier for us both."

"True," Diego replied, "but Ironwood isn't giving out favors yet, so that will have to wait for now. Until then, I'm just glad that you're still here."

Yang smiled, then gave Diego a kiss, which he returned without hesitation. He pulled her closer to him as the kiss deepened and felt her sigh against him. After a minute or two, they pulled away and Diego grinned.

"You should probably go now. Otherwise, Oz is gonna have my hide."

Yang chuckled, then started towards Bumble Bee parked nearby. Before leaving, she gave Diego a final smiling glance, then sped towards Beacon. Diego watched her go, then heaved a sigh, but not an unhappy one.

"This journey is getting better by the minute," he said to himself. His smile soon faded away as he finished his thoughts.

"But there's always a calm before the storm..."

* * *

 **Yep! We're just gonna keep moving on.**

 **Hope you enjoyed!**


	9. The Dance and Infiltration

**The Dance has arrived! Let's see how well this plays...or if it ends in disaster. As such, this is somewhat an episode-based chapter.**

 **Please enjoy!**

* * *

Diego hummed merrily to himself as he strolled through the streets of the city, despite the late hour. He was feeling especially cheerful today, for a very special occasion was approaching at Beacon, one which he had managed to get Ozpin to allow him entry on, as well as a blind eye. Approaching a store, he walked in as the owner looked up from his desk. He had apparently just started closing up shop.

"I'm sorry sir, but we're closed," the shopkeeper said. He then looked more closely at Diego and smiled. "Oh, it's you. How can I help you today, my late customer?"

Diego smiled. "Howdy Gabe. Do you have any suits? I'm looking forward to a good night sometime soon and I want to look my best."

Gabe smirked. "Always ready to help out a friend. So, will it be from the rack as usual?"

"Actually, I think we'll have to go with the specials tonight. Wouldn't want to raise Ironwood's suspicions more than they are, now do we?"

"Of course, Diego," Gabe replied, "Wait here."

Gabe disappeared in the back of the shop, then came out with a rather snazzy outfit that Diego couldn't help but smile at.

"Another triumph, my friend," he said as he took the suit. "And I assume it comes with the upgrades I talked about installing into my outfits?"

"Indeed. Formal, yet not too shabby if you get into a bind."

Diego gave him some currency and walked out the door with a happy sigh.

"Well, this will be quite the surprise for the girls to see," he said to himself with a chuckle. He then continued out on his way towards an alley, disappearing into the shadows of the night.

* * *

"Ozpin certainly let them outdo themselves," Diego chuckled as he watched the dancing begin from outside a window. He was dressed in his suit, but didn't attempt to enter just yet. As much as he wanted to join, and he eventually would, he also couldn't help but feel that something was wrong. Everything was just too peaceful and happy, yet he could sense some kind of dread in the air. As Diego watched, he noticed two familiar figures advancing towards the doors of the ballroom. He scowled as he watched them enter, then pulled up a Scroll with some info on them. There wasn't much to see.

"Well, at least I know their names," Diego said to himself. "Guess that's one win."

He sat outside for a few more minutes, then sighed and dropped down from the statue he had been on.

"Well, here goes nothing."

Diego started towards the doors, but stopped when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. A figure was making its way across the rooftops and didn't look like the nice kind of person.

"Not on my watch," Diego said with a sigh, taking one last look at the ballroom before chasing after the thief. He kept a reasonable distance from the figure, and soon found himself at restricted area guarded by some of Vale's security. Diego watched as the figure, who he had guessed was a female, take down the guard at the front doors, then strolled inside. Diego knew what was going to happen next, but before he could pursue any further, he heard footsteps behind him. Turning around, he saw Ruby had just arrived on the scene. Both were surprised to see each other.

"Diego?"

"Ruby? What are you doing here?"

Ruby pulled out her scroll and summoned her drop pod with her equipment inside.

"I followed someone here and decided to help," she said as she took Crescent Rose out of the pod.

"No, I can't let you," Diego protested, "Go back to the ball, I'll handle this."

"I'm not going back," she explained, "As a Huntress, it's my job to help others and make sure justice is served."

Diego sighed in defeat. He knew he wasn't going to get of her, but it was worth a shot.

"Fine, but stay close."

Diego walked cautiously into the building, practically ignoring the bodies strewn about by their attacker. He reached an elevator and stepped inside, with Ruby beside him. Diego pressed a button and the elevator took them to the top floor where the security systems were. The doors opened and he and Ruby both stepped inside. Noticing how quiet it was, Diego started cautiously looking around while Ruby started calling out to make sure if anyone was there. Just then, the figure from before revealed herself. She had a mask on but she was grinning as she rose from her hiding place. However, when she saw Diego, her grin faded.

"You know," Diego stated matter-of-factly, "This isn't a party that involves masks. Also, that is expense equip-"

The girl caused several crystals to appear and fired them at Diego, who deflected them all perfectly. Ruby started firing her rifle at the figure, who deflected them all with her hand. Diego charged towards the girl, who caused two swords to appear out of nowhere, and they began a dangerous game of melee combat. However, Diego was the superior in this fight, and he soon disarmed the girl and forced her to withdraw. Just then, the elevator beeped and the doors opened. Everyone, including Diego turned to see who it was. As soon as Diego recognized the face of the man who walked in, he mentally kicked himself. Ironwood stood before him with a frown on his face, his pistol pointed towards Diego. Ruby turned from Ironwood to Diego, then a look of surprise came across her face. Diego didn't turn around, for he knew what it meant. The girl was gone.

"Ironwood, this is not what you think it is!" Diego exclaimed, trying to reason with the general. The response was a series of rapid rounds fired at Diego, who deflected them all.

"Stop!" Ruby shouted, catching Ironwood off guard and making him give up the attack. Diego chose this moment to disappear via smoke grenade, much to the annoyance of Ironwood. He looked to Ruby with anger, then his expression softened and he sighed.

"We'll discuss this later," he said to her, then escorted Ruby out of the building. As soon as they were gone, Diego peeked out from his cover: a small crevice in the ceiling that he had installed without Ironwood's knowledge for such an occasion.

"That was close," he muttered. Several questions were going through his head at once. Who was the attacker? Why was she here? Did this signal the beginning of things to come? None of these had a clear answer. Diego sighed. He would sort this out later. It was all he could do now.

Besides, he had a dance to attend, and he didn't intend on missing out.

* * *

Yang watched the festivities with a slight wistfulness in her eyes. She enjoyed the party and she liked to watch the lovely couples dance together, but something was missing. Yang sighed as she knew what it was. Or more appropriately, who it was.

"Enjoying your night, Goldilocks?" a familiar voice said from behind. Yang was surprised. Could it be? Turning around, she saw Diego standing before her in a very nice looking suit, a grin on his face.

"Diego?" she asked, "What are you doing here? How are you here?"

Diego smiled. "I managed to get Ozpin to turn a blind eye towards me for the night. Plus, how could I resist staying away from such beauty on this momentous occasion?"

Yang smiled and a slight blush crossed her face. Diego chuckled, then noticed the other couples. His eyes gave a little twinkle and he turned to Yang.

"May I have this next dance, Miss Xiao Long?"

Yang gave him the cutest smile he had ever seen her wear.

"You most certainly may," she replied, taking his hand. Together, they walked out onto the dance floor and joined the other couples in a slow-dance, gazing deep into each other's eyes as the night rolled on.

* * *

 **The majority of these chapters are rather short, are they not?**

 **Hope you enjoyed! We'll see you in the next one! Bye!**


	10. Southeast Problems

**"The road goes ever on and on, and there are tons of Grimm to kill. But I keep rolling along... why am I trying to rhyme this still?"**

 **Only you can answer that, TD. Diego, on the other hand, joins the girls on their "field trip" today. Wonder how this will end?**

 **Please enjoy!**

* * *

"Professor Ozpin would like to share a few words before we begin," Glynda announced to the crowd of Hunters and Huntresses gathered in the auditorium. It was a big day for the majority of them, for they were to receive their first missions today. Hunters and Huntresses from all four kingdoms of Remnant had gathered together to receive their tasks. It was an exciting moment for them. Unknown to them all, however, one individual in the crowd didn't belong in their category. In fact, his very presence would have been a problem should the authorities notice. As Glynda gave the mic to Ozpin, Diego Kapila listened from among the crowd with interest in what was to be said.

"Today we stand together, united," Ozpin spoke clearly and calmly. "Mistrel, Atlas, Vacuo, Vale. The four kingdoms of Remnant. On this day nearly eighty years ago, the largest war in recorded history came to an end. It was a war of ignorance, of greed, and of oppression. A war that was about much more than where borders fell or who traded with whom, but about the very idea of individualism itself. We fought for countless reasons, one of which being the destruction of all forms of art and self expression. And as you are all aware, that was something many could not stand for. As a result, those who opposed this tyranny began naming their children after one of the core aspects of art itself: color. It was their way to demonstrate that not only would they refuse to tolerate this oppression, but neither would the generations to come. And it was a trend that is held to this very day. We encourage individuality, expressionism, and unity through diversity. As I have said, today we stand together, united. But this bond cannot exist without effort. Which is why today, while the rest of the world celebrates peace, huntsmen and huntresses will work to uphold it. As first-year students, you will be tasked with shadowing a professional huntsman or huntress on a mission. Some of you may be taken out of the kingdom for several days. Others may work within the walls for the rest of the week. But no matter which path you choose, remember to be safe, remember your training, and remember to do your very best."

The audience clapped as Ozpin stepped down from the podium. Diego chuckled.

"The members of Rooster Teeth sure know how to make a good speech if given the time," he muttered to himself, temporarily breaking the Fourth Wall. He then turned his attention to Team RWBY, who seemed to be having trouble finding a mission. Which could only mean... Diego gave the board a closer look and he laughed to himself at the irony.

"Southeast?" he chuckled, "Wow, what are the odds? But judging from the intensity of the Grimm there, I doubt that they'll be granted access. Their only hope is that Ozpin decides to play that card I talked to him about- Speak of the devil."

He muttered the last words to himself as Ozpin walked over to the team. He started talking to them about something. Wanting to get a better understanding of what the conversation was about, Diego casually stepped closer and listened in on the conversation.

"...So how about this? Instead of waiting for you all to break the rules, why don't we just bend them?"

Ozpin pressed a few buttons on his scroll, the computer beeped for a bit, and the team was officially assigned to the mission.

"We won't let you down," Ruby stated. "Thanks professor."

"Do not thank me for this," Ozpin replied, "Teamwork and persistence have carried you far, but you must understand, the things that await you beyond the kingdom will not care. Stay close to your huntsman at all times and do exactly as he says. He will be leading you on this mission and he can have you sent back to Beacon if he finds your skills to be unsatisfactory."

Ozpin started to walk off, while the girls looked at each other with serious expressions. Then Ozpin came back and said, "Good luck. And if it's thanks you want to give, that credit goes to your vigilante friend." He then walked away to attend to some other business.

"Vigilante friend?" Weiss asked. Then her face and that of her teammates lit up in realization, much to Diego's amusement.

"No way!" Yang stated, "He got Ozpin to give us a free ticket to the Southeast?"

"Well I wouldn't say that I got him to do it," Diego said, causing them to turn around, "But I have been known to be persuasive at times."

"Diego!" the girls cried, bringing him into a big group hug.

"Hey girls," he said with a mischievous grin when they broke up, "I hear you're headed to the Southeast?"

"Yep! All thanks to you!" Ruby stated.

"Well, it so happens that I'm heading there myself," he said, "I've got some investigations of my own to do in the area, so I thought I'd come along for the ride. What do ya say?"

"Of course!" Ruby said cheerfully, "The more the merrier!"

"Excellent! I'll see you guys there then. I would take the plane with you, but I'm afraid that I must travel by other means to avoid detection at the moment. Ironwood's been busy as of late."

Diego started to walk away, but stopped when Yang called to him.

"Don't get into any trouble until we show up," she said with a smirk. Diego smirked back.

"No promises Blondie. Be safe!"

Diego then turned and walked back towards the exit, blending into the crowds as he left. He did it so precisely, it almost seemed like he had disappeared into thin air.

* * *

Out in the middle of a deep forest, Diego searched around for what he was looking for. He had many ways he could travel, some of which were almost instantaneous. But he wished to avoid most of those means for the time being, as they brought back one too many painful memories that were still fresh on his mind. Finally, he heard a loud cawing from above and grinned. His ride had arrived, assuming that he didn't kill it. Moving into a clearing, Diego closed his eyes and seemed to meditate. Soon, a Nevermore dropped in front of him, cawing angrily and expecting an easy kill. However, when Diego opened his eyes again to stare at the Grimm, his eyes were now glowing a sickly color, one which the Nevermore found oddly familiar. Diego stepped forward towards it slowly, but the beast made no move to attack. In fact, it seemed to be afraid of him.

"I require your assistance, bird," Diego said to the Nevermore, but his voice had changed as well. This time, it was a dark voice, one which seemed to hold malice in its tone. The Nevermore stayed still as Diego climbed onto its back, then placed a hand on its head. As if controlled against its will, the Nevermore flew off into the sky towards the Southeast.

* * *

It was dark by the time Diego arrived, but that was mainly due to him having to ditch the Nevermore at one point and making the rest of the trek on foot. That combined with his investigation of the area slowed him down considerably. He did end up stumbling upon the Grimm Goliaths at one point, but they barely gave him so much as a wayward glance. Diego finally ended up in the ruins of the city and looked around for anything that would give the girls away. Eventually, he found what he was looking for. Or rather, he found Ruby keeping watch and knew he was in the right place. Not wanting to startle her, he came forward slowly yet deliberately enough to be spotted. Ruby spotted him almost immediately and waved to him, not wanting to wake the others just yet.

"That's a noble deed you've done, taking first watch," he said with admiration.

"Eh, I thought that as leader I should be willing to step up," Ruby said with a shrug. Diego smiled and sat down beside her in a way so he was hidden from the eyes of those around the fire. Ruby was a bit amazed at his behavior. He seemed so nice and friendly most of the time, but tonight she saw another side to him, one which she could tell that he didn't like bringing out as much. Despite how close to her he was, Diego was almost invisible due to his choice of positioning. If Ruby didn't already know that he was there, she would've passed him several times without ever spotting him.

"So, how was your trek here?" she asked, as if to confirm that he was still around.

"Could've been worse, could've been better," Diego stated, his eyes peering out into the night always alert for danger. He seemed rather calm, as if he had been forced to do several procedures like this before. He looked to her and sighed.

"Sorry if I seem straight to the point and all, but this town..." Diego stared out at the wreckage again. "It reminds me of some of my past failures. Things I could have done, should have done. But instead I threw it all away and did nothing. It's a long story, one which will have to wait for another time."

Ruby nodded, not wanting to pester him about it. She stared out into the night with him and sighed.

"Well, it's a rather beautiful night isn't it?" she asked with a yawn. Diego noticed this and a slight chuckle escaped him.

"You look tired, Red," he said kindly, "Why don't you go get some rest for the night?"

"Uh, I don't know if I-"

"Don't worry, Dr. Oobleck and I go back a ways. He'll understand. Plus, I'll leave him a note. Unless he's already gotten the memo."

Diego looked over at the professor from behind the wall he had positioned himself at. At a glance, nothing had changed, but Diego noticed a small smile creep along the man's face when he mentioned the night-watch to Ruby. Diego knew it to be a subtle hint that he had gotten the message.

"Well, okay," Ruby said with another yawn. Gathering up Zwei and Crescent Rose, she walked back to the fire and laid down on her bedroll. She soon fell asleep, much to Diego's satisfaction. A smile came across his face as he watched her sleep for a few seconds.

"To think that I once had the chance for such a life," he whispered to himself. He then turned and looked out into the night yet again.

 **Some time later...**

Diego heard movement from behind him at the camp. Looking back, he saw Yang just now starting to wake. She stared at him, then said sleepily, "Diego? Am I dreaming?"

"Nope, this is quite real," Diego replied with a smile. Yang smiled back, despite her still-weary state. She started to rise, but Diego held up a hand and signaled her to stop.

"Go back to sleep, Yang," he said gently, "I'll stand watch for you all tonight."

"Diego, you don't have to do this for us," Yang said with some concern. Diego smiled at her again with a loving expression.

"Maybe not, but it's what I want to do. Besides, I can tell that you're gonna need the rest. You all look beat."

Yang managed a smile again. "Alright then, but you'd better get some rest yourself. Wake me when you're ready."

Diego chuckled a bit when he heard that, then turned back out towards the streets. His expression was peaceful for a moment, as he watched the night carry on. At one point, he heard Ruby stir and leave the camp. This didn't concern him too much, for he had heard Zwei go too. But what did concern him not too long after was the fact that she didn't immediately return. Sensing trouble, he quietly left his perch and saw Ruby around a corner, probably tailing something. But what?

Diego started after her, but was surprised when he heard the ground breaking ahead. Fearing the worst, he quickened into a sprint and rounded the corner just in time to see Ruby toss Zwei out of the hole in the roads she had come across.

"Ruby!" he called, quickening his pace again. But it was too late. The slab she was holding onto broke and she fell into the chasm below.

"NO!" Diego yelled, slamming his fist into the ground in frustration. He then looked to the camp.

"I gotta tell them!"

Swiftly snatching up Zwei and Crescent Rose, he made it back to the camp.

"Wake up!" he shouted, rousing everyone in a short moment. "Wake up! Ruby's in trouble!"

That roused them real quick and they all stood to their feet.

"Where is she?" Yang asked.

"This way!" Diego shouted, leading them back to the hole. When they got there, they immediately started to ask questions.

"Do you think she fell?" Weiss asked.

"Fell?!" Dr. Oobleck answered.

"Down there."

Oobleck looked down, then said, "Oh my... Of course... Of course! Of course! Of course!"

"What is it?" Blake asked.

"How could I be so stupid?!"

"Doctor Oobleck, what's wrong?" Yang asked. Oobleck got in their faces right then.

"Mountain Glenn! Yes! An expansion of Vale that was inevitably destroyed by creatures of Grimm! Previously home to thousands of people! Working people, communicating to the city, the main city. Developed a subway system to the inner city. Grimm attacks increase! Population in danger, now desperately searching for shelter! City evacuates into metro tunnels and what do they find?! The South-East quadrant of Vale is known for wild forests and deep caves!"

"Doc, what are you saying?" Yang asked. Luckily, Diego decided to explain.

"He's saying that we're currently standing on top of a literal underground crime network!"

"They've been working in caves?" Blake inquired.

"When Mountain Glenn was overrun by the Grimm," Diego continued, "the citizens built what was essentially an underground village as a last ditch attempt for survival, using caves they had cleared out for subways. By doing so, they cut themselves off from the surface. A safe haven...until an explosion opened up another cavern mouth filled with subterranean Grimm. Afterwards, the Kingdom sealed the tunnels off, creating the world's largest tomb."

Oobleck then pulled out his coffee mug, which transformed into a club.

"If Ruby is down there... we must find her."

"Agreed," Diego stated, activating his gauntlets and greaves. He also pulled out his telescope which elongated into a kind of short club. As they prepared to enter the catacombs below, Diego was more worried about something other than Ruby. Those tunnels led all the way to the main city. If Roman and the White Fang had access to the tunnels... Diego sighed and plunged into the unknown as he finished his thoughts in his head.

 _I desperately hope that I'm wrong about my suspicions._

* * *

 **Well, this got interesting! The next chapter will have them dealing with the problem, obviously.**

 **"Review and all that! We need it!"**

 **TD, we're not desperate for views yet.**

 **"Oh... my bad!"**

 **Hope y'all enjoyed and I'll cya later. Got to tell TD the schedule again...**


	11. The Breach

**Let's help poor Ruby out, shall we?**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Roman laughed as he pushed Ruby over.

"Wow, you are much more manageable without that over-sized gardening tool of yours," he scoffed. Ruby's response was to try and go in for another punch, which Roman easily dodged, sending her falling to the ground again.

"Oh man," Roman stated, "Ya know, Perry, I really did need this!" He laughed, then continued, "But seriously..." he pointed his cane's firing end at Ruby's neck, "How'd ya find this place, Red?"

Ruby growled, then suddenly took off in a trail of rosepetals as she activated her Semblance. Roman seemed surprised at first, but when he saw her making a run for it, he smiled and turned the cane handle towards her. The handle fired from the cane attached to a cord and hooked the back of Ruby's hood, pulling her to the ground. The cord then retracted and pulled her to Roman's feet.

"I see you've got some tricks up your sleeve," Roman said, "Let me make this clear. We're no through here yet."

Just then, there was an explosion from up ahead. Roman seemed a bit frustrated.

"What the-? Argh! Perry, if you and the boys could take care of that? I'm kind of in the middle of something."

Perry nodded his head, and he and his boys started towards the explosion. But the, another one rang out, causing the caverns to shake.

"What is going on here?!" Roman demanded. The response was another explosion, followed by several White Fang Members running away from something. Shortly after, Oobleck, Yang, Blake, Weiss, Diego and Zwei came around the corner headed towards Roman. All but Diego were on foot. Diego had apparently decided to rig one of the forklifts in the area to go at speeds it reasonably shouldn't be capable of pulling off, and somehow had it self-piloted by a makeshift device that held down the accelerator while he occasionally leaned down to operate the steering wheel. Diego pulled out his scope, which transformed into a megaphone, and spoke into it.

"What up, boys?! Looks like we dropped by just in time!"

Roman was shocked at this, giving Ruby the opportunity she needed. Jumping on Roman's head, she pulled his hat over his eyes, then jumped off and made a beeline towards her teammates. Roman pulled his hat back up and hollered, "Somebody kill her!" even as he started firing at her himself with his cane. The rest of the White Fang members nearby did as they were told, but none found their mark. For Ruby skillfully kept running in zig-zags to avoid the shots. Suddenly, she came to a stop. Behind and in front of her, some White Fang had managed to trap her and were getting ready to fire at her. But a blast from Yang's gauntlets soon took care of that.

"Ruby!" Yang gave her sister a big hug as she leaped to safety.

"Are you okay?" Weiss asked.

"I'm fine! I'm fine! But listen... Torchwick's got all sorts of weapons and robots down there."

"What?" Blake exclaimed, as Diego handed Ruby Crescent Rose.

"Androids, mechs - they're all loaded up on the train cars."

"Ah, that's ridiculous!" Oobleck stated, "These tunnels are sealed! Those tracks lead to a dead end!"

Just then, an intercom blared and Roman's voice called out, "Get to your places! We're leaving now!"

As he did, the train started up and started moving down the tracks.

"We need backup!" Ruby shouted, "Let me call Juane!"

"Forget it," Diego said, "We can't get a signal down here. Not in time."

"So, what do we do?" Weiss asked.

"I believe we have only one option," Oobleck said grimly.

They all knew what he meant, even without Ruby saying it aloud: "We're stopping that train."

* * *

A White Fang guard looked around after hearing a noise from the top of a train car. He was about to call it in, but then someone tapped him on the shoulder. Turning around, he saw Diego's grinning face staring into his own.

"Hi, how are ya?" Diego asked cheekily before punching him in the face, knocking him out cold. He then joined the rest of the group on the top of the train cars.

"Hurry children!" Oobleck ordered, "We must get to the front and stop this train!"

"Uh...professor?" Weiss asked.

"Doctor," Oobleck corrected.

"What's that?" Weiss pointed to an object that Diego was only too familiar with.

"It'a bomb," he said, "Stand back. I don't want to risk it exploding."

"We've got baddies!" Ruby shouted, pointing to some White Fang in the distance, who had climbed on top of the cars to combat them.

"Well I didn't expect them to go..." Oobleck started, but then the bomb started to beep.

"..easy on us. Time to go!"

The girls started running off, but Diego stayed behind.

"You guys go! I'll deattach the caboose!" he shouted, then jumped down to where he needed to be. However, right when he was about to smash the coupling link, it deattached itself.

"It deattched on its own!" Diego calle dup.

"What?!" Oobleck shouted.

"I guess he really doesn't want us on this train," Yang replied. In the distance, the caboose exploded in the tunnel behind them.

'That can't be good..." Diego muttered to himself.

"Neither is this!" Ruby called, possibly talking to Oobleck as Diego had been too far to be heard at his volume. Diego jumped up to investigate. Oobleck rushed to the car ahead of the girls and opened the hatch. He then shouted, "They all have bombs!"

The bomb on their car beeped and the car decoupled itself. They all jumped to the next car and Yang yelled, "This doesn't make any sense!"

"No, it makes perfect sense!" Diego shouted. He didn't saw it yet, but one of his worst fears had been realized.

"What?!" the group all turned to him, but not for long as the White Fang started towards them. Thus began a deadly melee fight on the train cars. While they were fighting, Diego explained to them his thought process.

"The explosions create openings in the subway tunnels that allow the Grimm to get through! He's leading them to the city!"

"That's insane!" Blake shouted back as the last of the White Fang were taken out. As she finished, another explosion occurred behind him and Diego saw that what he had said was true.

"See for yourself," he said, gesturing towards the horde of Grimm that had lurked into the tunnels. The group took one quick look, then Oobleck shouted, "We have to hurry!"

"I couldn't agree more!" Diego shouted, following them. "You guys stop the train! I'll take care of the bombs!"

"No!" Yang protested, "You can't do this alone! We can't let you-!"

"You've got to!" Diego shouted, "There are lives depending on it! GO!"

Without waiting for another protest, Diego jumped into one of the cars and looked at the bomb before him.

"Easy Diego," he muttered to himself as he worked at defusing the bomb. "You can do this. It's just like that cooking show you did...but on the hardest difficulty. And you can't afford to mess up- Okay, I'll just stop."

His fingers moved quickly and delicately over the bomb, cutting wires, pressing buttons, whatever was necessary. When he was satisfied with the results, he moved to the next car. And not a moment too soon, for the car he was just in decoupled itself as he left. Unfortunately, that only made things more stressful for the vigilante.

"Oh great!" he said to himself. "Just perfect! I have to worry about that still! Well that's just-"

He stopped when he heard fighting ahead. Curious, he looked ahead and his heart almost stopped. Yang lay on the ground, presumably unconscious and Neo was standing over her with a sword drawn ready to deliver a killing blow! Diego was just about to draw his revolver, when a portal appeared and a figure rushed out of it and parried Neo's blow. The figure looked up and drew its own sword, which had a red blade. Diego was stunned, for he knew of only one person who possessed such a blade.

"Raven?" he asked. Raven looked to him, and while he couldn't see her expression Diego could tell that she was just as surprised to see him. Neo took this opportunity to escape in a flash of light. Raven then put her sword away and summoned a portal again. As she walked through it, Yang started coming to. Diego rushed to her as she stood to her feet. Seeing him coming, Yang embraced him as he came up to her.

"You okay?" he asked her as he looked into her eyes. His expression was one of worry.

"I'm fine," Yang said reassuringly. She then asked, "Who was that?"

Diego sighed. "Another old friend of mine, though she's thankfully not someone who I'd call an enemy...yet. I'd like to explain more, but we have a train to stop."

Yang nodded and they both ran to the front of the train where their teammates were waiting. Unfortunately, there was another problem. The tracks were indeed still a dead-end and the train was headed for it at insane speeds. Diego didn't waste a minute.

"Weiss! Ice Shield! Now!"

Weiss nodded and plunged her sword into the car. A solid ice shield formed around them, as the train crashed into the closed-off entry of the subway tunnels.

* * *

As soon as he heard the sirens, Diego knew that it meant bad news. But what really signaled the trouble was the screams heard from the crowd as the Grimm filed out through the breach made by the train.

"Perfect!" he grumbled as he stood to his feet. "I'll probably have Ironwood blame me for this, too!"

Diego sighed. Well, one way or another, help was required. He pulled out his scope and activated is gauntlets and greaves yet again as the Grimm surged towards him and his friends. With a loud, "Bring it on!" he charged into their ranks and started creating havoc among the Grimm. All around him, he was barely conscious of his teammates fighting for their lives too, as well as the hundreds of thousands of innocents caught in the crossfire. At one point, he noticed Team JNPR descend onto the battlefield, much to his relief. However, that relief soon vanished when an airship flew in along with the entire Vale army and more huntsmen and huntresses. To make matters worst, Diego noticed that Emerald and Mercury had joined in as well.

"Okay, I can handle the extra huntsmen and huntresses, and I can survive with those two, but why the army?"

Diego sighed and attempted to fight some more, but he didn't have to fight for much longer. Soon, the whole breach had been sealed and the Grimm taken down. Sadly, Diego couldn't rest just yet, as the new robotic warriors for Vale's army approached him and pointed their weapons at him. Ruby and her friends tried to protest and help, but Diego gave them an expression that warned them to sit this one out.

"Diego Kapila," one said in a prerecorded Ironwood voice, "You are under arrest."

"Oh sure! _This_ is my thanks for helping out," Diego sighed.

"Do you surrender?" the robot asked again.

"Uh...no," Diego said with a smirk. He threw down a smoke bomb as the robots fired wildly at his position. However, it was all in vain. Diego was gone and he would live to fight another day.

If another day to live was even permitted at this rate...

* * *

Diego walked through the streets of the city with an angry expression. It was dark already, so not many would notice him about at this hour. But something else did, and it was what Diego was going for. Entering an alley, Diego found himself in front of the painfully familiar form of a Seer Grimm. The Grimm made no attempt to harm him, for it was simply here for the message. He stared at the globe that made up its form, despite there being no image in it.

"I know this breach was your doing, one way or another," he snarled, "And I know that maybe it wasn't scheduled as you planned. But I have decided not to hold back any longer! From now on, pray that I don't find those responsible for the actions...or at least any whom I can get to before the army does. Because if I find even ONE of your puppets around, I will not hesitate to end their lives! I say this once only: leave Vale alone."

The Grimm made no sound, but simply disappeared into a sickly portal. Diego sighed heavily and dropped to the ground. He was exhausted, but not from the fight. He was tired of everything going south for him every time. All thanks to the Grimm. Diego stared at the ground, then he put a hand to his chest. There, he made a vow to himself.

"Mark my words Salem," he snarled, "Whether by my hand or another, I WILL stop you."

He stood to his feet and disappeared into the shadows as he finished his last sentence.

"If it's the last thing I do..."

* * *

 **Oh dear! Things are not looking good...**

 **Hope you enjoyed anyways, and I'll see you later! Peace out!**


	12. Things Might Get Ugly

**It has been awhile since I got back into this game. I've mostly been posting chapters from my other stories.**

 **So...please enjoy! Also, don't be afraid to leave me some feedback on what you thought, as well as suggestions for upcoming chapters. I'm always willing to hear what you have to say and see if it helps my stories.**

* * *

Diego watched with amusement and pride as Team RWBY wrecked the opposing team in the arena below him. He was among the spectators and was getting quite the front-row seat. He was waving and shouting loudly at the spectacle before him, which caused a few people to stare at him, but he didn't care. Besides, it was part of his means of blending in with the crowd. Usually he'd be the quiet one in the crowd and in the back, where the authorities would expect to find him. But this time, Diego decided to let some of his happier side shine through today. He watched as a final punch from Yang knocked the remaining members of the enemy team out of the arena and the crowd cheered.

"Yeah!" he yelled, "That's my girl!"

A man nearby gave him a look for a second, before turning back to cheer for the team. Diego didn't care. The tournaments were his favorite spectacles to watch and he always enjoyed watching the outcomes. Although, he also did it partially to observe the tactics of both sides and see what their flaws were or what decisions they had made that ultimately led to their defeat. So far, he had several that he could pin on both teams, but none that he was willing to share at the moment. Besides, he knew that eventually his time in the ring would be coming about, thanks to Ozpin's acceptance of his registration some time prior to the event. He had decided to take on a very rare challenge in the ring: a 1v4 challenge, where it would be himself against a team of four. Diego loved these challenges. It allowed him to test his abilities against skilled warriors and also see just how well trained the huntsmen and huntresses were. It was essentially a two-for-one scenario for him; he got to see how much he had improved or deteriorated over the years, and at the same time check up on the status of the huntsmen and huntresses from each kingdom. Diego watched as team RWBY left the arena and headed for the many pavilions outside that had been placed up for the occasion. Diego followed their example, but from a distance and after a short while. Thanks to Ironwood, the Vale security was high for this year's tournament and Diego was forced to be much more cautious than before. He couldn't afford to have his cover blown yet. No, he still had some business to take care of.

But he first had to wait in a specific place for the right moment...

* * *

"Guess Weiss's family is really desperate to talk to her if they're going to go as far as suspend her account," Diego chuckled after watching the short issue concerning Weiss's payment problem. He had decided to grab something to eat before heading out for a while and the festival pavilions happened to be the most convenient place to go to. Apparently, everyone thought so as well, because all of his friends had arrived as well. Keeping a low profile for the fun of it, Diego walked up behind Yang and performed a little trick he had done to her once before out of play: he covered her eyes from behind.

"Hey!" Yang protested, managing to get his hands off her eyes and turned to look. However, at first she saw nothing. Then a voice came from another seat nearby.

"Peekaboo! Did Goldilocks come through?"

This time they all saw him, sitting in a seat across from them with a large grin on his face.

"Diego!" they all shouted as they rushed to him and pulled him into a big group hug.

"Hey girls," he said, "I missed seeing you around."

"We did too," Ruby replied as they pulled away.

"So, what brings you here?" Yang asked.

"It's the festival," Diego stated as he looked around, "I wouldn't miss this opportunity. Besides, I'm signed up in the tournament."

The girls gasped.

"Really? How'd you get in?" Weiss asked.

"Ozpin managed to make a deal with someone who works the tournament. Also, I may have cheated a bit with the systems."

"Which challenge are you doing?" Blake asked. Diego smiled.

"I chose the 1v4 challenge, something no one has taken on for...almost forever. I'm not sure which team will be chosen to fight me, but I'm sure that it will be a fight to remember."

"Well, we'll be cheering you on!" Ruby said.

"Hey, why don't you join us?" Yang suggested, "We were just about to watch Team JNPR in the ring."

Diego sighed. "As much as I'd love to, I'm afraid that I must decline. Oz apparently needs me for something important, and it's best not to keep him waiting. But, I'd be more than happy to come on by afterwards."

"Oh. Well, catch you later then!" Yang replied.

Diego smiled and walked out towards Beacon, disappearing from view as he blended in with the crowd as if he was never there. Although, as he left, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Due to the way things had been going lately, Diego and Yang had not been able to spend much time with each other...or more time than their conditions would allow at the moment. It pained him in a sense, although he understood that it was for greater purposes.

"That doesn't make it feel right though," he muttered to himself, as he cast one final glance back at his golden-haired beauty...

* * *

Diego listened in the shadows as the group of leaders argued among themselves in Ozpin's office about a fight that had occurred earlier between two individuals he had not seen for quite some time. Well, one of them at least. Diego had noticed the skirmish between Winter Schnee and Qrow and had found it to be quite interesting. He had always preferred Qrow over the others, even Ozpin. Sure, he frowned upon Qrow's excessive alcohol consumption, but besides that he enjoyed the man's company...whenever he wasn't passed out. Diego sighed as he listened carefully to what the group was saying. Why did Ironwood have to be there? Couldn't he be somewhere more convenient?

"You've been out of contact for weeks! You can't just go dark like that in the field," Ironwood stated.

"I'm not one of your special operatives, Jimmy," Qrow retaliated.

"General," Winter corrected.

"Whatever. You sent me to get intel on our enemy, and I'm telling you our enemy is here."

"We know," Ironwood stated.

"Oh! Oh, you know." Qrow sounded irritated. "Well, thank goodness I'm out there risking my life to keep you all informed!"

"Qrow-"

"Communication's a two-way street, pal. You see this? That's the send button."

"They had reason to assume you'd been compromised," Winter informed.

"And I have reason to assume you don't need to be here. Seriously, who invited her?"

There was a short pause, then Ironwood said, "Schnee, we'll discuss this incident back on my ship."

"But sir...!"

"Winter, leave."

"Yes sir."

Winter gave a salute and left the room, not knowing that she passed within an inch of where Diego was watching the events unfold. Qrow looked back to Ironwood.

"Go on," Ironwood said.

"Your infiltrator isn't just another pawn. They're the one responsible for Autumn's condition."

Qrow started drinking from his bottle, while the room was in shock.

"What?" Goodwitch was surprised. Diego also was surprised as he made the connection.

 _The girl from the dance night! I knew there was something off about her! But what about Autumn? Is she still okay?_

Not being able to stand it any longer, he stepped out of the shadows and revealed himself.

"Autumn? Is she...?" Diego started, but then realized the extent of the trouble he had put himself into. Ironwood immediately pulled out a firearm and pointed it at him. Qrow just seemed to see it as a long awaited expectation, while Goodwitch and Ozpin weren't in the least surprised.

"What's he doing here?!" Ironwood demanded.

"Autumn is fine for now, Diego," Goodwitch said in a somewhat reassuring tone.

"Put the gun away, Ironwood," Ozpin ordered, "I asked him to be present."

"What?!" Ironwood looked to Ozpin with utter disbelief. "You asked him to come? So he can give away our plans!"

"Listen Ironwood!" Diego shouted, catching the general's attention and causing him to turn around, "You don't like me and I sure as h*ll don't like you, but I'm not with Her! Not after what she did to me. But right now, you need my help, whether you like it or not. Besides, while I may have lost your trust long ago, I'm still a part of all this."

The kid looked to Qrow and managed a small smile. The drunkard smiled and gave Diego a short fist bump.

"Diego," Qrow stated, "I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever show up again."

"Well, I have your nieces to thank for that," Diego replied, "Especially the older one."

Qrow gave him a look when he said that, then sighed with a slight chuckle and said, "We'll talk about that later."

Qrow turned back to the majority of the group as Diego walked over besides Goodwitch and listened to what Qrow had to say.

"Despite what the world thinks, we're not just teachers or generals or headmasters, or even vigilantes in Diego's case. The people in this room, the leaders of the other two academies; we're the one's that keep the world safe from the evils no one even knows about. It's why we meet behind closed doors, why we work in the shadows, why we fight on the opposite side of the law." He looked to Ironwood. "So you tell me, James, when you brought your army to Vale, did you think your were being discreet or did you just not give a d**m?"

Ironwood stared at him, then placed a scroll on the table.

"Discreet wasn't working," he said as a map of Vale appeared. He walked over and gestured to it. "I'm here because this is what was necessary."

"You're here because Ozpin wanted you here," Diego replied, "He made you a part of this inner circle and opened your eyes to the real fight that's in front of us."

"And I am grateful," Ironwood stated.

"Oh well, you've got a real funny way of showing it," Qrow snapped.

"Personally, I'd have preferred that you were using your army to hunt me down James," Diego said, "Because _this_ is going too far."

"Tempting," Ironwood muttered before continuing, "The people of Vale needed someone to protect them, someone who would act. When they look to the sky and see my fleet, they feel safe, and our enemies will feel our strength."

Diego and Qrow laughed when they heard this, although Diego's almost made him sound like he was crazy.

"You think they're scared of your little ships? Diego asked, "Qrow's been out there and I was once personally among her ranks! He's seen the things she's made and I've personally helped her with some of them before I escaped her clutches, and let me tell you...they are fear."

"And fear will bring the Grimm," Ozpin explained, "A guardian is a symbol of comfort, but an army is a symbol of conflict. There's an energy in the air now, a question in the back of everyone's minds: If this is the size of our defenses, what is it we're expecting to fight?"

Ironwood sighed and took the scroll off the table, but Diego noticed a symbol appear on its screen temporarily when he did. He felt that it was familiar somehow...

"So then, what do you suggest we do?" Ironwood asked.

"I suggest we find our guardian," Ozpin stated bluntly.

"I agree," Diego nodded as he looked out the window.

"Because at this rate, things might get ugly..."

* * *

 **Things are getting close to becoming a war zone.**

 **"What? Oh, no no, Sergeant! No Grimm here!"**

 **I'm not the Sergeant, but I'll let it slide. Anyways, review and all that good stuff, and I'll catch ya later!**

 **Peace!**


	13. Pyrrha's Roped In

**So, the arena will be coming to the disaster point soon. I hope you won't be disappointed with what I'll do then.**

 **Please enjoy anyways!**

* * *

"You are the worst!" was the first thing Diego heard as he headed for team Rwby's room. Looking inside, he saw Qrow, Ruby, and Yang all sitting in front of a video game. Apparently, Yang had just lost, hence her anger. Ruby and Qrow were laughing a bit.

"Best two out of three?" Qrow asked.

"I'd say that the fact that you're the better gamer gives you an unfair advantage," Diego stated as he walked into the room. He was greeted immediately by a red blur that crushed him with as big a hug as she could give him.

"Diego!" Ruby shouted, "Where have you been?"

"Sightseeing," Diego said with a chuckle as he returned the hug. He then looked up at Yang and Qrow as he managed to deattach himself from Ruby.

"Diego," Qrow said, "I was wondering where you had gone."

"Wait, you two know each other?" Yang asked.

Diego nodded. "Believe it or not, your uncle and I go back quite a ways. Even helped him in several missions."

"So Uncle Qrow, did you get into trouble with Ozpin?" Ruby asked, taking a seat on the bed nearby.

"Nah, me and Oz go way back," Qrow answered, "We're cool."

Yang chuckled. "Cool for an old guy."

Qrow gave her a look. "Not funny."

"Cut the girl some slack, Qrow," Diego stated, "After all, I did the same thing to you once. Still do from time to time."

Qrow ignored him and brought his attention back to the game.

"So what are you doing here anyway?" Ruby asked. "I thought Dad said that you'd be away on a mission for like...ever."

Qrow started another match against Yang.

"Well, a professional huntsman like myself is expected to get results as soon as possible."

"Yeah, I get that," Ruby replied, "We're pretty much pros too."

"Oh really?" Qrow asked.

"Pfft! Yeah," Yang stated, "Read the news sometime. We totally saved Vale while you were gone."

"Funny, because I hear that Vale suffered a Grimm attack after you _almost_ managed to stop a train," Qrow said bluntly.

Just then, the game announced Qrow's character as the winner...again.

"But they don't give out medals for almost," Qrow replied.

"They do, and they're called silver!" Ruby replied.

"To be fair, Qrow, there wasn't much we could do to stop the train or the attack," Diego replied, "Besides, they managed to take down Roman Torchwick in the process. Makes my job a whole lot easier concerning crime and it gives Ironwood an excuse to not hunt me down while interrogating him."

"Sure, they may be acting like huntresses," Qrow stated, "but they're not thinking like one." He turned to his nieces. "You really think four girls and their friends could end all crime in the kingdom?"

"It is possible with even just one person Qrow," Diego intervened, "but admittedly, it's not recommended. I know from personal experience."

"Well violence hasn't dropped since Roman got 'napped. It's stopped. Completely," Qrow noted, "No White Fang activity anywhere around the city. You cut off the head of a King Tijitu, but now the second head is calling the shots. That's what Ironwood can't get through that thick metal head of his."

"I agree," Diego nodded. He then sat down and looked to Yang. "May I have a go at him? I've been dying to humiliate him on the digital battlefield."

"Wait, you know the general?" Yang asked Qrow. Diego looked up and laughed as she handed him the controller. Diego started a new match against Qrow as he spoke again.

"Qrow and I know just about everybody to some extent. Remember, your uncle was once part of the coolest team ever to graduate from Beacon."

Qrow pulled out the picture of his team when Diego said that. Yang got a look as if she recognized one of the figures, sparking Diego's curiosity even as he played the game.

 _She knows who she is,_ he thought to himself, _Since when have you had time off, Raven?_

"Ah, Team STRQ (Stark). That's when I met your parents," Qrow said, "We were pretty well known back in the day."

"Well known for crummy fashion sense," Ruby joked.

"Hey, we looked good!" Qrow objected, "and I have a number of inappropriate stories that'll back that up."

"Please don't," Diego suggested, "I already have to put up with your drinking habits."

Right when he said that, Qrow got a look of alarm as his digital character in the game fell to the ground, signaling that Diego had beaten him.

"Boo ya!" Diego shouted in triumph, "How's it feel to lose this game, Qrow?"

Qrow managed to compose himself and rise to his feet.

"I've faced more humiliating defeats. Anyway, I'm too old to be hanging out with a bunch of kids. You're gonna cramp my style." Qrow started out the door, but then sighed and finished.

"Look, just remember that you've still got a long way to go," he said turning back to them, "And don't think for a second that graduating means you're done. Every day out there is worth a week in this place. You two, you're gonna go far. But only if you keep learning. If you never stop moving forward. Oh, and Diego! You treat my nieces well, or you will answer to me."

"Like you'd ever be able to take me on," Diego chuckled, "But if it'll make you feel better... Yes sir!"

Qrow smiled and walked out of the room and Diego looked back to the girls.

"So, how's the tournament so far?"

"It's great!" Ruby shouted, "Yang and Weiss are moving on to the semi-finals!"

"Really?" Diego looked over at Yang, "Guess there's more to my Goldilocks than meets the eye."

"The same could be said for you, Dancy Pants," Yang joked back, slugging his shoulder.

Diego laughed a bit, then said with playfulness, "So, who wants to try and take me on? I'll even let you be the Soaring Ninja."

Yang smirked and picked up a controller.

"Oh, it's SO on!"

With that, Diego started up another round and prepared for digital combat.

* * *

"Yikes! Those two are tough!" Diego said aloud as he watched Yang and Weiss in the arena against Flynt and Neon. As much as he didn't want his friends to lose, Diego couldn't help but admire the Atlas team's fighting strategies. They were definitely what he'd call unorthodox, and they managed to keep one on their toes quite a bit. Already, Diego had seen Neon alone making a fool out of Yang, which he could tell was making his girlfriend pissed.

"Rollerblading," he said to himself, "Allows Neon a bit of a speed advantage without as much effort and she makes good use of the environment from the looks of things. Flynt on the other hand seems to rely off of keeping his opponents at a distance with that trumpet of his. But that Killer Quartet Semblance... interesting."

Diego closed his eyes for a moment and concentrated as he activated his own Semblance, one which he had yet to show off in combat around his friends. He managed to do it in a subtle manner and soon deactivated it after a short moment. But unfortunately when he opened his eyes, he noticed that Weiss had sacrificed herself to drain Flynt's aura and now his girlfriend was in a state that he both admired and somewhat feared.

Yang was angry, and as if that wasn't enough proof, Oobleck and Port confirmed this over the speakers.

"Oh, the tides have turned," Diego said with a chuckle, then yelled, "Kick their butts, baby!"

If Yang heard him, she didn't really show it, but nevertheless she did wreck house on her opponents and won the match. However, there was still one issue to be addressed. Yang rushed over to the blackened body of Weiss and Diego jumped down from his seat to check on her too. Apparently, the rest of friends had the same idea, because he soon found himself down there with the entire team.

"Good job, you two!" Blake congratulated.

"Yeah!" Ruby joined.

Diego smirked. "Next time, don't go playing in the lava pools, Weiss."

"Oh shut up," she said with a cough, but she was smiling when she said that.

"Guess we ought to get that looked at for you," Diego said with some concern. He then stood up and yelled, "Is there a doctor around here?"

"I think she'll need more than just a doctor, Diego," Yang joked, "She needs a more militant form as well."

"Weiss's form in combat is fine, actually," Diego replied, "Although she probably could use some teaching in fighting against unorthodox forms of combat."

They all laughed a bit, then slowly made their way out of the arena to freshen up and get Weiss some medical attention.

* * *

Diego stood beside the chamber that contained the wounded Fall Maiden, Amber, a saddened expression on his face. He had arrived here in secret, but he knew that eventually Ozpin and the others would be arriving soon and they'd expect his presence. Until then, he would remain by the girl's side. He placed a hand against the glass and sighed.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, "You may not know me, but I'm sorry. I am the reason this happened to you. The reason why your power was stolen and you are in this condition. I taught them to use that power... I caused this." A tear ran down his cheek as he continued. "I am sorry, Amber. But I promise, I will make this up for you. For all of Remnant. Even if I end up killing myself in the process."

Just then, he heard footsteps approaching and Ozpin's voice said, "Do not blame yourself for her condition, Diego."

"But you know that what I said is true!" Diego protested as he turned around. However, when he saw who was gathered there, he was stunned with silence. Oz had brought Qrow, Ironwood, and Goodwitch with him, but that's not what surprised Diego. It was the figure with them.

"Pyrrha?"

"Diego?" She was just as surprised, "What are you doing here?"

"I work with them, in a sense," Diego stated. He then sighed and looked back at Amber.

"Is that..?" Pyrrha asked.

Diego nodded. "The current Fall Maiden, Amber. I assume that Ozpin has told you all about it. Though I honestly wish he hadn't."

"She's... still alive," Pyrrha noted.

"For now," Ironwood replied, for once not caring that Diego was present, "We're using state-of-the-art Atlas technology to keep her stable. But there is a lot about this situation which is... unprecedented."

"What do you mean?" Pyrrha asked.

"We're not sure what will happen to her if or when she passes," Diego stated bluntly.

"Won't her power just transfer to the next host?" Pyrrha asked.

"Look who's been listening," Qrow said, earning a glare from Diego, "She is smart."

"Under normal circumstances, yes," Ironwood explained, "But this is a delicate situation. It's not uncommon for the last thoughts of the slain to be that of their attacker. And to make matters worst, no one's ever seen the power split like this before."

"I have," Diego said gravely, "but that was long ago, and I wish that I never allowed it to come to pass."

Ironwood looked to him, then sighed as he continued.

"For all we know, it will seek out its other half."

"Her assailant," Pyrrha realized.

"And that would not bode well for any of us," Ozpin said.

Pyrrha was silent, then walked over to the chamber where Amber was contained. She placed a hand on the glass for a moment, then she spilled.

"If all this is true, why keep it a secret?" she demanded, turning back to them, "If this girl is so important, if- if we're truly on the brink of war, why not tell everyone?"

Goodwitch stepped forward and said, "From what we understand, it used to be common knowledge."

"Excuse me?" Pyrrha asked.

"Exactly how I feel," Diego stated.

"How do you think legends and fairytales get started?" Qrow remarked, "Even the craziest ones come from somewhere."

He took a swig from his bottle after finishing, much to Diego's annoyance.

"Can you go for at least five minutes without being drunk all the time?" Diego muttered. Only Pyrrha heard him, but she didn't say anything.

"Our group was founded in order to protect both mankind and the Maidens," Goodwitch explained, "Those hungry for power hunted them with the hopes of inheriting their strength."

"And as you can imagine, the ones that succeeded weren't exactly the kind of people you'd want to have unimaginable power," Qrow replied.

"And so this brotherhood chose to remove the Maidens from the public eye," Ironwood continued, "allowing their existence to fade away into legend."

"The things that we're telling you go against hundreds of years of human history, religion," Goodwitch said.

"No one would want to believe us. It'd cause an uproar," Ironwood stated.

"It would cause panic, and we all know what that would bring clawing to our kingdom's walls," Ozpin added, "Which is why we would like to-"

"I'll do it," Pyrrha interrupted, "If you believe this will help humanity, then I will become your Fall Maiden."

Everyone exchanged looks with each other.

"That's what you wanted, isn't it?" she asked.

"Them maybe," Diego stated, "but not me. Besides, it's not that simple. Because of Amber's condition, you won't be able to inherit her power naturally."

"However, I believe I have a solution," Ironwood said, "For the past few years, Atlas has been studying aura from a more scientific standpoint. How it works; what it's made of; how it can be used. We've made significant strides, and we believe we've found a way to capture it."

"Capture it and cram it into something else," Qrow added, "Or, in your case..."

Pyrrha suddenly looked scared. "That's-"

"Classified," Ironwood interrupted.

"-wrong," Pyrrha finished.

"At least someone agrees with me on that," Diego snorted.

"But desperate times call for desperate measures," Goodwitch replied.

"And these are indeed desperate times," Ironwood stated, "We can't transfer Amber's powers to you, but we can give you what those powers are bound to."

"Her aura," Pyrrha said.

"Her life would become intertwined with yours," Oz explained, "The question is..."

"What's that gonna do to you?" Qrow finished. This didn't help out Pyrrha's condition any more, but only seemed to worsen it. Diego noticed this and frowned, though who he was frowning at was unclear.

"You have an important decision before you, Miss Nikos," Oz said bluntly, "There's no guarantee this transfer will work, and there's no telling if you'll be the same person if it does. I advise you to take time to think on this matter. But understand that before the Vytal Festival is over-"

"We get it," Diego cut Oz off, "Do you really think that you have to say it aloud? It was pretty much implied the minute you explained it."

Oz gave Diego a short frown, then continued. "The assailant that attacked the Fall Maiden has made their first move, and there's no telling when their next move will be."

"Well, that was fun!" Diego said in mock happiness, sarcasm dripping from his tone, "Who's up for a bite before the next match? I believe that the 1v4 match is up soon, so I'd best be off anyways."

Everyone looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"What?" he defended, "I'm trying to lighten the mood. But fine, be that way. Pyrrha, want to come with me? I wasn't joking about leaving."

Pyrrha just nodded and followed him out of the room, along with the rest of the group. After they were outside again, the group split up until Pyrrha and Diego were alone. Only then did Diego speak again.

"You don't have to accept it," he said to her.

"What?" Pyrrha asked, "What do you mean?"

"Just what I said," Diego replied, "It may be a way to stop our enemy, but that doesn't make it right. And personally, I'd prefer that you didn't end up taking that offer Ozpin gave you."

"Why not?" Pyrrha demanded, "If it's for the greater good of humanity-"

"To h*ll with what he said about it being for the greater good!" Diego suddenly shouted in anger. "It's not right! To you, to Jaune, to any of the students here at Beacon! You don't deserve to have this thrown upon you!"

Diego closed his eyes and Pyrrha noticed some tears escape and run down his cheeks. She wanted to say something to comfort him or at least find out what was wrong, but she didn't know how to respond. Diego sniffed and said gravely, "Sometimes, I wonder if Ozpin is the true enemy. Because none of this should happen to you. Any of you. You deserve to know what you're getting into before it's dropped into your lap."

"Diego..." Pyrrha started, but he stopped her with an uplifted hand.

"This is all my fault," he said sadly, "I caused much of this personally, and now it's come back to haunt me. I'm sorry... sorry I brought you into this. All of you."

Diego sighed and straightened himself.

"I need to go. My match will be starting soon, and I'd hate to leave the crowd hanging."

Diego walked away without another word, his thoughts raging inside his head.

 _If our enemy is here, which I know they are, then I'll show them just who they are messing with,_ he thought to himself.

 _And they will all regret coming to Vale..._

* * *

 **Yikes! Diego apparently has a bad history with this fight against Salem. Wonder how that's gonna play out for him later on.**

 **Sadly, I will not be describing in detail Diego's solo round in the arena, for I wish to get to the attack on Beacon as soon as possible. Plus, there's not much I'd be able to say concerning his match.**

 **I hope y'all enjoyed! Cya next time!**


	14. The Attack on Vale: Part One

**I guess this is the first chapter towards the start of the invasion. So... yay?**

 **Please enjoy!**

* * *

"And with that, Diego Kapila stands undefeated, ladies and gentlemen!" Port said over the mic as the match came to an end.

"Not only that, but he's also broken the world record of remaining aura after a fight!" Oobleck added, "With a whopping 95% of his aura remaining! What a fight!"

The crowd cheered wildly for the lone figure down in the arena, who was standing beside four defeated huntsmen and huntresses. Loudest of all was Team RWBY, who quickly ended up rushing down into the arena and crushing him in a big group hug.

"Way to go, Diego!" Ruby shouted enthusiastically.

"Thanks, Ruby," Diego said. He then added teasingly, "Although if you wanna know the truth, I was going easy on them."

"Sure you did!" Yang said with a teasing voice of her own. "Like when you did that extravagant back-flip and caused that one guy to hit his own teammate? Or maybe when you 'pretended' to slip, then suddenly righted yourself in time to throw them off guard and land a finishing blow? Or when you-"

"Okay, I may have been fooling around with them a bit," Diego admitted, "But hey! Can you blame me?"

"Yes, we can," Weiss stated.

"Correction: _You_ can," Diego pointed out.

"Well, you probably could've gone without the obvious fake-out that wasn't a fake-out," Blake stated.

"You were awesome!" Ruby squealed excitedly.

"I love it when you cheerful in combat," Yang said. Diego chuckled at this.

"I try to find joy in whatever I can," he replied, "Besides, no one said that you couldn't have fun in combat, did they?"

Just then, they noticed a crowd of huntsmen and huntresses moving out into the arena. They were all the ones chosen for the finals.

"Well, we'd better go," Diego said. He gave Yang a quick kiss on the cheek. "Good luck out there, Goldilocks!"

"You sly dog," she joked as she slugged his shoulder. Diego just smiled, then followed his friends out of the ring. However, he paused for just a moment to talk to a particular huntress.

"Pyrrha," he said to her, "You know you don't have to say yes to Oz's offer, right?"

"Diego, why did you get so mad?" Pyrrha asked, "What was it that upset you?"

Diego pulled her aside slightly. "Not here. Wait until later. I'll try to talk to you after the first match, and all will be explained then."

He then gave her a smile and walked out of the arena. After a few moments, he found himself a seat next to the rest of Team RWBY and sat down. Normally, he would've wanted to be less noticeable, but now that Ironwood was more or less cooperative with him, he didn't need to worry about being spotted by security. Now, he could relax and enjoy the show. The randomized results for the next match came up and Diego smiled to himself at how accurate his guess had been. Yang was the first one up to the ring, and the one she was going up against was...

Diego frowned a bit.

 _Of course it'd be Mercury,_ he thought to himself, _I don't like that guy. He just screams "bad news" wherever he's at. And it doesn't matter at all that he helped in the defense of Vale! Who is he? And why do I feel like something bad's about to happen? Something's not right here..._

"Diego? Are you okay?" Ruby's voice shook him out of his thoughts.

"I'm... fine, Ruby," he answered, trying to brush it off. But she persisted.

"No, something's definitely wrong," she pestered. "What is it?"

Diego sighed. Perhaps it was her kind of innocence or maybe simply the fact that she was Yang's sister, but for whatever reason he seemed to give in more easily around her.

"It's Mercury and Emerald," he said finally, "I don't trust them."

"Why not?" Ruby asked, "They seem okay..."

"They attacked and killed a Faunus," Diego said bluntly, "One who was trying to flee from the White Fang. One whom I swore to protect."

"What?" Ruby was, unsurprisingly... surprised. "But, they-"

"Are only putting on friendly faces to blend in," Diego finished. "I'm not exactly sure what they're here for, but if you want my advice, it's this: Be cautious around them. They mean bad news."

Ruby was silent at this and thankfully didn't pester him further. Diego probably wouldn't have answered anyways, as he was busy watching Yang's fight with Mercury. Out of habit, he studied the way both of them fought. He couldn't help but feel that Mercury was holding back.

"He wants her to win," he muttered to himself, "But why?"

Eventually, Diego got his answer when Yang won the match. Shortly after she had beaten him, she did something that caused fear to ripple through the entire crowd: she turned around and broke his leg with a single punch. The entire crowd gasped and some scattered 'boos' were heard as well. Mercury was crying out and Emerald rushed to his side. Even the camera footage showed Yang break his leg for no reason. Everyone seemed horrified... except her boyfriend.

Diego knew that Mercury was faking the pain, for he had learned from their brief encounter that Mercury had fake legs. Not to mention, the way Yang had attacked suggested that she was reacting to something that wasn't actually there. And he had sensed something right before she attacked...

"They set it up," he realized. His friends looked to him questioningly.

"What do you mean?" they asked.

"I'll explain later if I can," he answered, standing to his feet. "But right now, I need to speak to Ozpin."

Diego stood up and started to push through the crowds in an attempt to reach the exit closest to Beacon. As he walked, he accidentally bumped into a female figure.

"Sorry ma'am," he apologized, "I didn't see you th-"

He stopped as he got a good look at who he had run into. The eyes he stared into were familiar... Suddenly, he realized who it was. It was the girl that he had encountered on the night of the dance. But he seemed to know her on a much larger basis than that.

"You!" he exclaimed. The woman just smirked and brushed past him.

"Pardon me," she said in an almost seducing tone, "I must go check up on my teammate. So please, stand aside... Diego Kapila."

Diego was too stunned to do anything but comply. Not that he could actually do anything about it. With all the eyes and ears nearby, there was nothing he could do. He growled at the figure that had walked by, then started back for the exit.

"Please don't be who I think it is," he said to himself almost hopelessly as he disappeared into the shadows.

* * *

"Are you sure of this, Diego?" Ozpin asked the vigilante from within the confines of his study.

"I could never forget that face," Diego replied, clenching his fists in anger, "It was the same girl Ruby and I ran into on the night of the dance. But, I think she's more than just a common thief..." Diego sighed. "I hope I'm wrong, but I think... it was Cinder."

Ozpin seemed to gain interest. "Cinder? One of Salem's associates that you told me about? The one who was your apprentice before you turned against them?"

"That's the one," Diego answered, "I'm not sure what she's doing here, but I guarantee that it can't be good. Also... I think Emerald and Mercury may be with her."

Ozpin leaned forward on his desk. "You realize that accusing someone without proper evidence is a dangerous move, don't you Diego?"

"Oz, for once just shut up and let me take charge!" Diego shouted angrily, "Mercury cheated! He never truly was hurt! His legs are fake! I know because I had to fight him personally! What Yang saw was an illusion, purposely set up to disqualify her! You need to-"

"Diego," Ozpin interrupted, "Millions of viewers saw your girlfriend attack an innocent student on live footage-"

"Innocent my boot!" Diego shouted, "He and Emerald both killed an innocent; a Faunus! They are not innocent, they are monsters!" He leaned closer to the headmaster and Oz noticed Diego starting to take on a different change. His eyes were glowing a sickly color and his voice sounded dark. Oz tried not to show it, but in his eyes was a look of fear.

"Why can't you see what I have been warning you about from the begining?!" he demanded, "Do you _WANT_ everyone to die?!"

The sickly glow stopped, Diego's voice returned to normal, and he started panting heavily.

"I'm... sorry," he gasped, "The fear... it's everywhere... I can feel it... everywhere..."

Ozpin nodded. "I suggest you go see Miss Xiao Long. It might help calm you down a little, and I believe she could use the comfort right now."

Diego nodded and left without a word. As much as he didn't want to put Yang in danger, he also knew that visiting Yang was probably the best choice for him right now.

He would end up going feral if he didn't...

* * *

Yang was still in tears when he arrived through the window. He arrived so quietly, she didn't notice him until he knocked his hand against a wall.

"Leave me alone," she sobbed. Diego sighed.

"I'm not leaving," he stated, "and I don't think you're crazy."

"Then what do you think?!" she demanded.

"I think he cheated."

Yang was silent at that, so Diego clarified.

"What you saw was an illusion that either Mercury or Emerald conjured up. He threw the fight. He knew this would happen."

"But, why would he do that?" Yang asked. "And how do you know it was a trick?" Diego walked over to her and lifted her head up to look him in the eyes.

"I'm not entirely sure," he answered, "Unless you're talking about the illusion. To which I'll say this: I possess a kind of power that let's me sense illusions. I can't tell you anymore than that for now." He sat down on the bed beside her. "It's not your fault. He forced you to react to something that wasn't truly present at the time. If he hadn't pulled that card, I guarantee you'd be in the finals still."

Yang smiled a little at this, then pulled him to her for a big hug. Diego returned it, giving her some of the comfort that she needed for the time being. He could hear her softly crying a few more tears, but not as much this time. After awhile, he released her and gave an apologetic look.

"I have to go now," he said, "I think Pyrrha will be up next, and I want to make sure that Mercury doesn't sabotage that too."

Yang nodded and gave him a quick kiss.

"Don't be gone too long," she said.

"I'll be back. Promise," Diego replied. He then jumped out the window and disappeared from view.

* * *

Diego wasn't too surprised to hear that Pyrrha was going up against Penny on the announcements.

"Of course I'd be too late!" he complained as he rushed as fast as he could towards the arena, "Freaking Mercury! When I get my hands on you, I'm gonna-"

He rounded a bend just in time to hear a gunshot and cry of alarm from...

"Ruby?" Diego asked himself, then he heard the dreaded voice of Mercury.

"Let's just keep this between us friends," he heard the man say. Diego growled inwardly, but he was also smirking.

 _Showtime!_

"Excuse me," he said aloud as he came in sight of the two warriors. "May I cut in?"

"Diego!" Ruby cried joyously. Mercury frowned. He clearly hadn't expected this. Diego walked between the two of them.

"Ruby, get help," he said calmly, "I'll handle this clown."

Ruby nodded and rushed past Mercury. The assassin tried to stop her, but was intercepted by a blur that blocked his path. Mercury was surprised. There was no way Diego could've moved as far as he did so quickly! As he watched, Diego smirked and activated his gauntlets and other weaponry on his person.

"Show me what you've got, Mercury," he growled.

Mercury obliged with several shots fired from his boots, all which Diego deflected easily. Mercury then attempted to land a kick on Diego, but immediately regretted his decision. For no sooner had he tried, than Diego ended up grabbing his leg and throwing him to the ground. He then landed a few more punches and busted up the assassin's legs up again. As Mercury sat there practically defenseless, Diego heard the crowd outside gasping in shock and horror. Hesitating long enough to give Mercury a warning glance, Diego rushed out to see what had happened. He found Ruby on her knees and in tears, but he also noticed Pyrrha in the ring with a horrified expression. Lying at her feet was the torn-apart body of Penny, hence Ruby's tears. Diego was just as shocked. He started out for the arena, but stopped when he realized that the broadcast hadn't stopped. As he pondered this, suddenly the screens turned red and a familiar symbol was seen on them too. Diego looked to the symbols in horror.

 _No... Please no..._

"This is not a tragedy," a female voice said over the speakers, "This was not an accident. This is what happens when you hand over your trust, your safety, your children to men who claim to be our guardians, but are, in reality... nothing more than men."

Diego fell to his knees, as the broadcast continued.

"No... nononono," he whispered to himself, almost as if traumatized.

"Our Academies' headmasters wield more power than most armies and one was audacious enough to control both. They cling to this power in the name of peace, and yet, what do we have here? One nation's attempt at a synthetic army, mercilessly torn apart by another's star pupil."

"Shut up..." Diego whispered.

"What need would Atlas have for a soldier disguised as an innocent little girl? I don't think the Grimm can tell the difference. And what, I ask you, is Ozpin teaching his students? First a dismemberment, now this? Huntsmen and Huntresses should carry themselves with honor and mercy, yet I have witnessed neither. Perhaps Ozpin thought defeating Atlas in the tournament would help people forget his colossal failure to protect Vale when the Grimm invaded its streets. Or perhaps, this was his message to the tyrannical dictator that has occupied an unsuspecting kingdom with armed forces."

"Shut up," Diego said louder.

"Honestly? I haven't the slightest clue as to who is right and who is wrong. But I know that the existence of peace is fragile, and the leaders of our Kingdoms conduct their business with iron gloves. As someone who hails from Mistral, I can assure you; the situation there is... equally undesirable. Our Kingdoms are at the brink of war. Yet we, the citizens, are left in the dark. So I ask you... when the first shots are fired... who do you think you can trust?"

"SHUT UP!" Diego screamed, somehow managing to be loud enough for all in the theater to hear. He looked to the red screens as the figure finished her speech.

"But I can't take all the credit. I'd like to give a special thanks to the one who made all this possible... Diego Kapila, the Dancing Rogue. You have revealed the truth to us all."

"ARRRRGGG!"

With a roar of rage, Diego jumped impossibly high up to one of the screens and smashed it with his fists, huffing and puffing heavily as he landed back on the ground unharmed. He barely had landed when the sirens rang out, warning of a Threat Level 9 Grimm attack. Diego was too shocked and enraged to notice this, however. He didn't notice the crowd running for their lives, the sound of Grimm howling and screeching, or even sense the levels of fear around him.

All he could do was realize the truth in Cinder's words as chaos erupted all around Vale.

* * *

 **Cliffhanger! The Battle for Vale is about to begin!**

 **Special thanks to LunaTheBlackWolf, a devoted fan of this story, for supporting my development so far! If I can, I will try to find a way to repay the favor.**

 **I hope you enjoyed! Cya next time!**


	15. The Attack on Vale: Part Two

**So, this is starting to reveal a bit about Diego's past, believe it or not. As time goes on, you'll eventually be given the story about how he met Salem. Hopefully, I don't screw that up.**

 **Please enjoy!**

* * *

"Yang, are you okay?" Blake called on Yang's Scroll as she ran down the halls of Beacon.

"I'm fine," she answered, "Is Ruby with you? She's not answering her Scroll."

"No, she isn't," Blake replied. Yang stopped running for a moment when she heard this.

"Yang, I'm sure she's fine. She's our leader, she can take care of herself."

"Right," Yang said, clenching her fist. Just then, another call came on her Scroll, as well as Blake's.

"Yang? Blake? Someone, please answer me!" a male's voice shouted. Both sides of the conversation could hear this.

"Diego?" they all exclaimed.

"Where's Ruby?" Yang asked.

"She's fine!" was the reply, "A little traumatized, but otherwise she's good! She's at the arena with me, but the Grimm are closing in fast! You guys need to protect the people! I'll keep them busy over here if I can! Go to the docks and do your job! I'll see you when I can!"

"Got it!" Blake called, hanging up her end when she did.

"Be careful," Yang said, "I love you."

There was a brief pause, then he replied, "I love you too, Yang."

Yang managed a smile, then ended the call as she headed out into the chaos.

* * *

Diego looked up at the barrier around the arena, having managed to break free from the shock he had been in earlier. A Nevermore was desperately trying to break through into the arena, and from what the robotic announcer was telling him, it was succeeding. He took a quick glance at Ruby, who was still in a state of shock at the moment, then looked nearby at where he was standing. Pyrrha was also in shock of what had happened, standing there motionless. Jaune was calling to her, but she didn't seem to hear him. The Nevermore flew up at a higher altitude and with a powerful downward dive it broke through the barrier. It then looked straight at Pyrrha and dove for her.

 _Not on my watch!_

With one swift motion, Diego leaped into the air and brought himself down upon the Nevermore, killing it in one blow. Standing up from his kill, he noticed that Ruby had apparently thought the same thing, as she was holding one of Penny's daggers. She looked at Diego, who managed to flash her a smile.

"You almost beat me to it, Ruby," he said. Just then, several pods dropped down around the arena, as tons of Huntsmen and Huntresses rushed inside. They grabbed their gear and looked around. Diego looked to Ruby, who hadn't done the same, and realized that her Scroll must've gotten damaged by Mercury earlier. With a sigh, he pulled out on of his own and fiddled around with it. In a few seconds, her own pod deployed with her equipment inside. As she gathered her things, Pyrrha spoke, her eyes filled with tears.

"Ruby, I-" She looked down at a piece of fabric from Penny's form that was in her hands, before finishing. "I'm so sorry."

"Me too," Ruby replied, "but it wasn't your fault."

"She's right," Jaune added, walking over to Pyrrha, "Whoever was on the microphone, they're the ones that did this." He held out Pyrrha's weapons to her. "And have to make sure they don't take anyone else."

Pyrrha took the weapons from him as all the Huntsmen and Huntresses readied their weapons. Then, Flynt and Neon looked to Diego.

"You!" Flynt shouted, "What's your part in all this?"

Diego sighed heavily. "I wish I could say that I didn't have one... But I'm part of the reason this has happened."

"Diego, you weren't-" Ruby started, but Diego interrupted her.

"No Ruby, they're right. I was once with the people on the microphone. I taught them much of the strategy they've used, I gave them the power they wield... I even helped create some of the Grimm you face. It's all my fault that they- they..."

Diego couldn't finish and simply hung his head in shame and guilt.

"That's all I needed to hear," one Huntsman stated, as he and his team surrounded Diego. Another team joined him and Ruby was shocked.

"No, wait!" she shouted, but it was too late. The first Huntsman brought his sword down upon Diego's head... only to have the vigilante's image disappear like a shadow. He then reappeared nearby, giving a look that pleaded to them not to attack. Ruby was simply surprised.

"That was... Blake's Semblance," she said to herself. Stunned by Diego's move, another Huntsman attacked. However, when he did, Diego simply disarmed him easily. He then lifted his hands and several circular runes appeared in the air, firing out shards of ice.

"Weiss's Semblance too?" Ruby was confused now, and even more so when a Grimm Griffon dropped down on top of a pod. For no sooner had it done so, than Diego turned into a red blur and flew across the arena, forming back into his normal self to lay a killing blow to the Grimm's head.

"And mine!?" Ruby was both excited and freaking out at the same time. Diego stood to his feet and looked to the Huntsmen and Huntresses around him.

"I may not have much trust left among you towards me, if you ever had any to begin with," he stated, "but I will not sit idly by and watch Vale or Beacon fall! I helped make this mess, and I'm going to clean it up if it's the last thing I do, with or without your help!"

Taking a deep breath, Diego launched himself impossibly high into the sky, jumping clear out of the arena as the Huntsmen and Huntresses all watched in shock. Ruby was silent as a thought came to mind.

"He used our Semblances," she muttered, "I read about that in the library..."

She stared in her friend's direction as her thoughts bugged her.

 _Is he the wielder of the Inherited Semblance?_

* * *

Diego rushed through the streets of Vale towards Beacon, killing any Grimm that crossed his path. His rage seemed to build with every strike, he hardly noticed that some Grimm were avoiding him altogether.

 _Got to stop this! Got to stop this!_ his mind screamed over and over with each strike. In all honesty, he could feel his feral side building up around him. There was so much fear in the air. Could he keep it together long enough?

 _Keep it together!_ he said to himself, _Just a little longer!_

At last, he could see the school up ahead and several Huntsmen and Huntresses in front of the doors. Finding a familiar face in the crowd, he rushed over to the crowd.

"Weiss, where's Yang?" he asked. Weiss simply pointed in a certain direction as she panted heavily. Diego nodded, then handed her a vial from within the folds of his clothing.

"This will help you hold out longer," he explained, then rushed towards the building Weiss had pointed to, fighting his way through White Fang as he did. Eventually, he heard Yang shout in anger and he rushed over to one of the windows of the nearby buildings.

Just in time to see a familiar figure slice off her arm with a single strike of his sword.

Diego felt as if his heart had stopped beating and the world was moving in slow motion as he watched his girlfriend fall. Then the figure in question turned back towards his friends, just enough to let Diego confirm who he was seeing. Blake jumped in the way of Adam, leaning over Yang.

"Why must you hurt me, Blake?" Adam asked, and swung his sword once more... only to have it stop halfway in Diego's right arm, biting through his gauntlet and into the flesh. Diego cried out in pain, then delivered a quick blow to Adam's stomach before he could recover, sending him flying halfway across the room. Blake looked at him.

"Diego..." she managed, "Your arm..."

Diego winced a bit, then his hands glowed as the wound slowly closed up.

"Just a scratch, Blake," he stated, "I'll live." He turned to notice Adam standing slowly to his feet, then back to Blake.

"Time to tag out, Blake. I'll take it from here. Get Yang to safety, then run."

"What?" Blake shouted, "No! I won't leave!"

"There's nothing else you can do here!" he argued, "Beacon is fallen. I don't want you to die for nothing."

"I'm not running away from this!" she protested, "I've ran away for too long! I won't-"

"I'm not telling you to run away from the problem!" Diego countered, "I'm telling you to run towards it! You're needed elsewhere, Blake, and we've lost too many lives already!"

"Stop telling me to run-!"

"I lost my parents! I won't lose you too, Kitten!"

Diego seemed surprised at first, as if realizing what he had said to Blake. Blake was surprised to hear this too. He had called her by a pet name given to her by a distant cousin when she was still a child. But how would he have known about..?

A short flashback came over her as she recalled a moment of her childhood...

 _Flashback_

 _Blake was just a child, still a toddler. Today was her birthday, and her family had taken great measures to make this a special day for her. It was a great party and everyone was happy. At one point, her dad pulled her aside to meet someone._

 _"Blake," he said, "This is your distant cousin... Diego Kapila."_

 _Blake looked up at the eighteen year old boy standing before her. He was wearing a friendly smile and his eyes twinkled mischievously. When she looked closer, she noticed that he seemed to have viper pits in his nose and his eyes had an almost invisible layer of scales covering them. He knelt down to her level and smiled brighter._

 _"Well, hello there, little Kitten..."_

 _End Flashback_

Blake looked at Diego dumbfounded. His expression only confirmed what she was thinking.

"...Diego?"

Diego sighed and his hand reached out and caressed her cheek.

"Live to fight another day, Baby Cousin," he said gently, "Live to fight another day."

Blake was silent for a count of three, as the realization came to her. Then she suddenly hugged him tightly for a short while, which the boy returned just as quickly. She stood up and grabbed Yang, carrying her away. Before she left, she looked back and called, "I will come back." She then ran off towards the docks. Diego watched them leave, then turned his attention to Adam, who was chuckling as he approached.

"Well well well," he said, "Look what you have become. A street rat licking the boots of the weak and traitorous."

"Look what I have risen above," Diego retaliated, "A tyrant who believes that anarchy and fear is the road to equality."

Adam smiled and started pacing in front of Diego, who simply held his ground and kept his eye on the Faunus warrior.

"So you're a part of this rabble too?" he scoffed, "I thought you were better than that, Diego."

"Then I guess you know less about me than you thought," Diego replied, "Because the way I see it, they're a far better family than your ever was. After all, look at what you have lost. Your pride, your dignity, your very conscience. Even those you loved."

Adam seemed to get mad at this.

"Then what do YOU have?!" he snarled, kicking a pile of burning lumber. Diego was silent, but for a brief moment his eyes fell upon something upon the ground that had caught his eye. Adam followed his gaze and saw what it was: Yang's arm, with her gauntlet still upon it. An evil smile crossed Adam's face.

"Seems that I'll be killing two birds with one stone after all," he stated. At this, Diego took on a dangerous expression and pulled out a weapon he hadn't used much: his telescope/heavy club. He brought himself into a solid stance as he waited for Adam's attack. Adam only smiled wider.

"Do you wish for your death then? Even with your training, you could never beat me."

Adam quickly struck at Diego, but was surprised when the vigilante easily parried his attack and laid a successful blow to his face. Now Diego smirked.

"Time has it's way of changing things," he answered, "And for the record, I threw those fights. You were never the better."

Adam was surprised, then angry. He rushed at Diego again, striking furiously at the boy in question. All in vain, for Diego countered each flawlessly. Adam soon tired and looked to Diego in utter disbelief. Diego's smirk then faded and he looked to Adam with rage in his eyes as he began his own onslaught. Unlike Diego, Adam was unable to counter his blows and was soon overcome. Adam fell to the ground, battered and bruised. Diego quickly leaned down and held Adam's own sword to his neck. For a while, he was motionless as the battle raged around them, then the vigilante spoke.

"I spare you this one time only, because I once called you 'brother,' and I hope that there may still be time to turn you away from the path that you have chosen, slim though that may be."

Diego threw his sword away and turned away from Adam. He started to walk away, but then looked back to Yang's arm and gauntlet. With a heavy sigh, he picked up the dismembered limb and removed the gauntlet from it. He then removed his own broken gauntlet and placed Yang's gauntlet on his arm instead.

"Hope you don't mind, Goldilocks," he said softly, "It seems I'll be needing it more than you will currently."

Diego walked out of the building and back onto the school grounds. A Grimm charged at him for a second, but he killed it with a single punch without even turning to look at it when he did.

"Where are you going?!" Adam demanded. Diego ignored him. "Don't walk away from me! Come and finish this!" Diego continued to walk away.

"DIEGO!"

Diego finally stopped briefly and looked back to the fallen Faunus.

"Goodbye... brother," he said, too softly for Adam to hear. He then turned back around, ignoring the cries of the White Fang leader as he walked back into the thick of the fight...

In the direction of the large Grimm dragon that circled above Beacon...

* * *

 **Dun dun dun! The fight is starting to come to a close very soon! Wonder how it's going to end... not really! I'm the one writing this after all. XD**

 **Hope you enjoyed, and I'll cya in the next chapter! BYYYYYYEEEE!**


	16. The Attack on Vale: Part Three

**Here we go! Hopefully the final chapter in the current volume! Next chapter will bring us into Volume 4, where Diego will start to reveal his past in full.**

 **Please enjoy, be ye Faunus or human!**

* * *

Diego pulled out his Scroll and called one of the few people he knew would have a means to communicate with him as he approached the school.

"Sun, pick up your Scroll now before I kill you myself!" he hollered. He almost didn't notice that what Grimm were in the area were giving him a wide boundary, as if avoiding him.

"Diego! Where are you?" Sun demanded.

"Near the school."

"What?! What are you doing there?"

"I'm finishing this once and for all, like I should've done more than eighty years ago!" Diego answered.

"Eighty years? But, you're not-"

"I'll explain later! Right now, if there's anyone I should know about in my area, tell me now."

"Uh... Ruby and Weiss are headed your way, and Jaune and Pyrrha are still missing..."

Just then, Diego saw a pod shoot up into the sky from the school entrance. Looking in that direction, he just noticed a single red-headed figure disappear back into the school.

"I think I found them," Diego said back to Sun. "I gotta go. Take care of Yang and Blake for me until I get back!"

"I will," Sun answered. "Good luck."

Diego hung up, then sighed and walked towards the school once again. As he did, he saw some Grimm drop in from the Grimm Dragon above him in the sky. As he watched, Ruby and Weiss shortly came into the courtyard, battling the Grimm as they tried to get into the school. Diego felt his rage burning once more and with a roar he charged the Grimm, slaughtering all within sixty feet of him. Unknown to him at the moment, his eyes started glowing a sickly color and the Grimm started to give him a wide circle.

"Come on!" he shouted challengingly, "Is that all you've got Salem?! COME ON!"

"Diego!"

Diego looked to Ruby and Weiss, who were both scared and amazed at what he had done. He looked at them, then realized what had happened to himself.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I tried to hold it back, but it's too strong-"

"Just tell us that you aren't going to kill us, and I think we'll be good," Weiss interrupted. She clearly wasn't in the mood for debating his loyalty. Diego managed a smile.

"I'm not gonna kill you. On my honor," he said.

This seemed to satisfy the two Huntresses, and they looked up to the top of the tower before them.

"We've gotta hurry," Ruby stated. Weiss then fired some of her runes at the building side, making a path all the way to the top.

"You can do this," she said to her and Diego. Diego looked to Ruby.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Nope," Ruby replied, then started running up the side of the tower, Diego in hot pursuit. They rushed up the side of the building, knowing that time was running out with every step. However, by the time they got to the top, it was too late. The deed had been done, and Diego just managed to see Pyrrha get disintegrated before his very eyes.

Then, something happened that Diego was actually glad to see. Ruby's eyes glowed a bright silver color as she cried out in rage and sorrow for her fallen friend.

"What?!" Cinder shouted, and the Grimm Dragon screeched. Diego just smiled.

 _The Silver-Eyed warrior has revealed herself,_ he thought. Before Ruby charged into the fray, Diego looked to her.

"Ruby!" he called, "I'm not sure if you can hear me or not, but go for the dragon! Leave Cinder to me!"

Ruby either heard him or coincidentally acted the way he was hoping for, because she immediately went for the dragon, screaming like a banshee the whole way. Diego chuckled at the sight, then looked to Cinder. The new Fall Maiden smiled.

"Diego," she said in mock happiness, "I missed you. We all do."

"It has been too long, hasn't it?" Diego asked, giving the same mocking tone.

"Quite so," she stated, "I so wish that you didn't run out on us. We were so happy together."

"Which 'we' are you referring to again?" Diego asked, "Us and the gang? Because I don't remember the two of us being a thing."

"The rest of us, of course," Cinder answered, "I know that you and Salem were close."

"Too close for your comfort," Diego replied, making Cinder lose her original tone. Diego smiled wider to see that she had lost her cool somewhat and continued.

"Why aren't you attacking me yet, my dear apprentice? Did Salem give you orders otherwise? I guess she wants to test your loyalty."

Cinder growled and charged up her magic. "I will kill you if I have to, regardless of what she wants!"

"Glad to hear that. I'll make sure to tell Salem in person," Diego stated. He then readied himself for combat, much to Cinder's amusement.

"Do you really think you can take on the powers of a Maiden, Diego? I've known you to be quite foolish, but this would top them all. I still find it surprising that Salem ran in fear of you all those years ago."

Diego looked at Cinder as his eyes glowed a sickly color.

"Then allow me to enlighten you..."

Diego suddenly started screaming in pain as his body took on a horrendous transformation before her eyes.

His skin became black as midnight, his face and parts of his shoulders and hands turned white, his eyes a sickly red, and all of his equipment disappeared and was absorbed into his skin. Bone-like spikes grew out along his spine, some more along his arms, and his eyes now looked more reptilian in addition to the glow they sported. He towered over Cinder and growled. When he did, Cinder felt a huge surge of power erupt from him, the same power her Mistress possessed. He looked more intimidating than any Grimm Salem had created, and when she looked into his eyes, Cinder felt only one emotion: fear. Diego spoke, and his voice was dark sounding, his mouth also giving off the same glow as his eyes.

"THIS is what Salem ran from that night! This is what I have become thanks to your Mistress! And as powerful as a Fall Maiden is, you are no match for the power I have been given! Prepare yourself, Cinder Fall, for this is your end!"

Diego's hands glowed with dark energy and several dark crystals appeared, which he fired at Cinder. The evil Maiden dodged them, then sent a wave of her own energy at him, but the energy simply spiraled around him before becoming corrupted and then sent right back at her. Cinder was surprised and barely blocked the attack herself. But she wasn't given much time to rest, as Diego quickly charged her, striking furiously at her with sharp claws on his now Grimm hands. She deflected them the best she could, but even in his Grimm form, Diego still possessed his previous combat prowess. Meaning, she was screwed. Eventually, Cinder may as well have been a punching bag. She could no longer keep up with the sheer power Diego possessed nor was she a match for him in melee combat. He clawed up her face, pummeled her till she was beyond bruised, and even used his powers to cause all kinds of harm. Soon, she lay battered and beaten as he stood over her. She looked up at him, then smirked.

"Well, do it then," she said in a weak, almost inaudible voice, "Kill me."

Diego raised a hand, poised for the kill. It was all over now. He could relieve Salem of one less minion, and soon weed out the rest before going for the queen herself. It could all be his...

Diego roared in anger and his hand came down and cracked the roof beside her. Cinder was dumbfounded, but didn't attempt to rise as Diego spoke.

"No! Because when push comes to shove, I am not like you or those you work for!" he shouted, "But I can tell you this..." He picked her up by the throat and lifted her off her feet. Cinder struggled, but to no avail.

"Look me in the eyes when I'm talking to you!" Diego ordered. Cinder obeyed, slowly and reluctantly.

"I spare you only this once, because I pity you and those who work for Salem. The puppets at the mercy of the puppeteer. But pray that I never have to encounter you again, for I can't promise that I will be as forgiving next time. And another thing... when you look in the mirror and see the scars you've earned in this fight, know that I could've killed you, but decided to spare you instead. Until we meet again... my former apprentice."

Diego's hand glowed and Cinder suddenly lost consciousness, then Diego dropped her. Looking around, he noticed that Ruby had stopped her own onslaught on the dragon, though whether it was dead or not was unclear. What was clear was that Ruby herself was lying unconscious on the roof nearby, Crescent Rose nearby. Diego sighed as he felt much of his rage ebb away. Most of the spikes in his new form retracted back into his skin as he walked towards her. Picking her up gently, along with her weapon, he jumped off the top of the tower, headed for the nearest evac ship.

* * *

The guards down at the docks, along with what Huntsmen and Huntresses remained, were watching the city closely, in case more people managed to get out alive. General Ironwood was among those that remained. As they watched, a Grimm figure suddenly dropped in front of them and they aimed their guns at it. They were surprised when they saw a little girl in its arms, as well as the almost-human appearance it had, however intimidating. Ironwood looked closer, then shouted, "Hold your fire!"

"But sir-"

"I said, hold your fire!" Ironwood shouted again. Reluctantly, his men obeyed as the Grimm stepped closer. As it did, it transformed into a familiar figure, who flashed Ironwood a tired grin.

"Thanks for not blasting me to pieces," Diego said, "Is there room for more on that plane? Because that looks like the last of the people in Vale."

Ironwood nodded, and led Diego onto the evac ship. Diego handed Ruby over to one of the paramedics on the ship, then smiled at Ironwood again.

"Thanks... James," he said, and walked off into another section of the ship, not noticing Ironwood's own smile. Diego then looked to one of the medical staff nearby.

"Do you have anyone by the name of Yang Xiao Long on board?" he asked.

"Yes, we do," the nurse he had asked answered.

"Where is she?" he inquired. She pointed to one of the rooms reserved for the wounded and he gave her a quick nod before walking towards it. Inside, he found what he was looking for. Or more appropriately, who he was looking for.

Yang was lying on a medical bed, seemingly unconscious at the moment. Her right arm had been sliced clean off, but she was otherwise unharmed as far as he could see. A small tear escaped Diego's eyes as he looked down at her. Diego stepped closer to the bed and leaned down next to her.

"I'm sorry..." he said softly, "I should've never left you. This is all my fault..."

"Diego?" he heard her murmur, then her eyes opened partly to look at him. Diego was almost too relieved to speak.

"Diego...?"

"I'm here," Diego said softly, running a hand across her cheek, "And I'm not leaving you again. That's a promise, Goldilocks."

She smiled slightly at this and her remaining hand grasped his own as they felt the plane take off, leaving the city of Vale still in ruins and a bigger fight up ahead. One which Diego intended to win.

And this time, he would not lose those he loved...

* * *

Salem looked through the Seer Grimm in her chambers, as it gave her a look at the now ruined city of Vale. She was holding a look of admiration and pride.

"She's fortunate that he allowed her to live and that I'm willing to let this one slide," she stated. A sigh escaped her for a moment. "I know that in the end we may have to kill each other, but until then..."

She made the image disappear and a worried expression crossed her face.

"Please be safe, my precious Diego..."

* * *

 **And with that, Volume 3 comes to a close! Next chapter, Volume 4, where we learn of Diego's backstory and the relationship he had with Salem. I'm kinda excited to get this far into the story.**

 **Thank you all for staying with me so far! Like, review, and I'll see you in the next chapter!**

 **Bye!**


	17. Diego's Past - Part One

**Volume 4, here we come! I'm hoping that I can give a good story out of this part of Rwby, considering that not much happens in Volume 4 on Yang's side, which is where Diego is going to be staying.**

 **I decided that Diego's explanations of his past will mostly be shown as flashbacks. Any text** _like this_ **is to be seen as Yang and/or Diego speaking over the top of the flashback.**

 **Please enjoy!**

* * *

Taiyang had expected a visit, but not from a vigilante; even if he did save his daughters. The sight of Diego Kapila at the door was the last thing he had expected.

"What are you doing here?" he asked the rogue, not unkindly. Diego looked to Taiyang with a sad sigh.

"I think you know the answer to that," he said, but he wasn't trying to be rude. Taiyang nodded and opened the door wider to let him in. Diego walked in without another word, noting the quiet state of the place.

"I'm guessing Ruby already left?" Diego asked.

Taiyang nodded. "She left not too long ago. Did you happen to see her?"

"No, but I figured that would be the case when she woke," Diego replied. He started looking around and Taiyang managed a small chuckle.

"Yang's upstairs in her own room," he stated. Diego looked to the man and smiled a bit. He started to take the stairs but was stopped once more when Taiyang called to him.

"I never got to say it then, so I'll say it now," he said, "Thank you... for saving my daughters."

Diego smiled again. "No problem man. It's what I do. Besides, it's what friends do."

Diego continued upstairs without any further interruptions. When he found Yang's room, he knocked softly on the door.

"Yang," he called, "It's me... Diego."

There was a pause, then she answered.

"Come in."

Diego opened the door and saw her lying in bed, her hair done up in a ponytail. She seemed to be terribly scarred emotionally and he knew why, but she seemed to improve when she saw him, even managing to give a genuine smile. He came closer and sat on the edge of the bed next to her.

"How are you feeling?" Diego asked with some concern. Yang looked to her arm and then back to him.+

"Still pretty bad after all that," she answered, "But I feel a little better, now that you're here."

Diego chuckled. "I didn't realize you missed me _that_ much Blondie," he joked, then more seriously, "As happy as you are to see me, I'm guessing you're also wondering why I'm here, aren't you?"

Yang nodded, so he continued.

"I already said that I wasn't leaving you again, and that includes now." Yang's smile seemed to grow a little wider, but it turned to confusion as he continued. "I'm also here to explain some things to you. Questions that deserve answers. Like my association with those who attacked Beacon."

Yang looked to him. "What are you saying?"

Diego sighed. "Yang Xiao Long, it's time that you learned the truth about me. It's time that you heard my story..."

Yang was a bit surprised to hear him say this. Originally, she had decided that she didn't care what his past had been like. However, if he was going to tell her the story, she wasn't going to interrupt him either. He needed to say this and get it off his chest. She looked to him intently, letting him know that she was listening. Diego sighed and started his story...

* * *

 ****Flashback****

"Run for it, boy!" a guard shouted to the fifteen-year-old boy before him as a pack of Beowolves descended upon the small caravan he was protecting. They had been traveling between two villages delivering supplies and Diego happened to be a stowaway. He had sneaked into the caravan for a bit of fun and adventure, only just now being spotted by some guards. The Beowolves had attacked shortly after and the guards now were fighting to protect the boy as much as they wanted him to leave. As the Grimm got closer and more variety of them appeared, the boy, cowering in fear, picked up a weapon from one of the fallen warriors and clung to it as the swarm approached. His heart was pounding in his chest as he desperately tried to calm himself down. He knew that the Grimm could sense fear, and the fear he felt only made him a bigger target.

Suddenly, a new figure appeared from out of the nearby treeline, someone that made the boy tremble in fear even more. It was like a woman, but cruel and evil-looking. Her eyes were a dark and evil red, her skin as pale as death, and her expression dark and terrible to behold. The boy was now all alone, the rest of those in the caravan having been killed off. He gripped his gun tighter and pointed it at the nearest Grimm, his hands shaking terribly. He tried to hold his firing arm steady with his other hand, but it still wobbled a bit. A Beowolf seemed to sense this weakness and charged at him, intent on killing the boy. The boy screamed and closed his eyes as he pulled the trigger, firing wildly into the horde of Grimm before him, not realizing that he had managed to kill a few of them, save for the one still charging him.

"STOP!"

The boy opened his eyes slowly upon hearing the voice, and looked up. The Beowolf had stopped inches away from his face, but it no longer seemed willing to kill him. It stepped aside as the dark lady stepped closer, and the boy realized that it was her who had spoken. She looked to him again and he saw an expression that he had not expected in her eyes: admiration.

 _"Why didn't she kill you?"_

 _"I'm not entirely sure even now. Perhaps it was because I was alone. Perhaps she found my willingness to try and fight back amusing. Or maybe she felt the tiniest amount of pity for me. Whatever her reasons, out of all those she had slain that day, only one was spared..."_

The boy trembled a little more, but he was also confused. _Why did she tell them to stop? And why'd they listen to her? Is she their master?_

The dark lady looked to him and asked, "What is your name, boy?"

"D-d-d- Diego! Diego Kapila," he answered, still trembling. She smiled at him, but he felt that it wasn't pleasant.

"You're a special boy Diego," she said, "I feel that you have quite a part to play in this." She turned around and started to walk away, calling behind her, "Come. Follow me. And leave the weapon behind."

Diego stood there in shock, almost too surprised to react. He started conflicting with himself on what to do.

 _"Looking back on it now, I should've ran, tried to fight, or called for help. But I didn't."_

 _"What'd you do then?"_

 _"I did the only thing I could do at the time..."_

Slowly, still trembling, Diego followed the dark lady past the hordes of Grimm around him. He dropped his weapon as he followed her, unsure of what this would bring him...

 ***time skip***

"Why have you brought me here?" Diego asked her. They were standing inside a dark fortress of some kind, curtsy of the dark lady herself. She looked darkly at him and he went silent.

"That is none of you concern for the moment," she stated bluntly. She then stepped closer to him and raised a hand to his face, forcing him to stare her in the eyes. Diego flinched, but wisely didn't try to fight back. He knew how futile that'd be in this place. After a moment, the lady spoke.

"You're a hybrid. The son of a Faunus and a human, yes?"

Diego nodded, still too afraid to speak.

"You may yet be of use," she muttered, and then released him. He looked to her in confusion.

"Wh-what are you going t-t-to do?" he asked. The lady smiled.

"For now, I'm sending you home. Your parents must be worried sick for you, and we wouldn't want them to go off on a fruitless search, would we?"

"N-no Ma'am!" Diego said, a little too loudly perhaps. The lady looked to him, then raised her hand.

"I'm sending you home now," she explained. A portal suddenly appeared behind the boy and he gasped in surprise and slight awe. The lady, clearly not wanting to waste more time, started to push him through the portal.

"Wait!" the boy shouted. The lady rolled her eyes and looked at him.

"What?!" she demanded. Diego gave her a quizzical look.

"Why did you spare me?"

The lady seemed to be pondering this herself, then eventually replied, "Because you're a special boy."

"Okay..." Diego said, not necessarily satisfied, but at least glad to have an answer. "Goodbye, Ma'am."

He stepped through the portal, but as it started to close, he though he could just barely hear her say something back to him.

"...Salem..."

Diego was silent for a moment, then shrugged it off as he looked out before him. He was standing just outside the gates of his village, and nobody had noticed him appear out of nowhere. Thankful to still be alive, he rushed on home towards his family's house...

 ***time skip***

Diego looked around him slowly as he sat in a special blind he had set up in the forest. It was a little area of solitude for him, where he could sit and watch nature from safety. He never used it to hunt, only to observe. He wasn't much of a hunter, and was even considered to be the weakling of the village. Not to say he was completely useless in a fight. He was more infamously known to be a slippery character, always managing to find a way to escape... sometimes when escape was considered impossible. Now, he watched from the blind as a deer quietly chewed on some leaves from a plant, unaware of his presence. So peaceful, so calm...

"You shouldn't let your guard down so easily," a female voice said behind him. Diego yelped and jumped in his blind, scaring away the deer. When he turned around, he saw the face of the dark lady from before... Salem, was it? Somehow, she had gotten into the blind without him noticing. He would've been scared, if the deer hadn't ran off.

"What was that for?" he demanded, "You scared it off!"

The Queen Grimm smiled, a little darkly. "I only wanted to talk to you. I was starting to think you had been killed the other day."

"Well, I'm not!" Diego shouted at her, "And next time, give me a heads up before you sneak up on me! On that note, why are you here?!"

Salem sighed and stepped out of the blind, Diego following her example. Outside the blind, Diego looked her in the eyes, but then faltered and settled with looking just below them. Salem chuckled at this, as no one had ever looked her in the eyes for long without feeling some fear of her.

"I was wondering if you'd like it if someone helped you to overcome your fears," she said bluntly. This wasn't untrue, but it wasn't the full story either. She decided to keep that to herself. Diego raised an eyebrow at her.

"And you can do that how?" he asked.

Salem managed a chuckle. "I am the definition of fear, being the Queen of the Grimm. I have my ways."

"Yeah, I don't know..." Diego started, but Salem wasn't one to take no for an answer. However, she was patient if need be as well.

"You don't have to decide right away," she suggested. "I'll give you some time to think it over. That's more than generous, isn't it?"

"I guess so," Diego said with a shrug.

Salem nodded, then without another word she disappeared in a sickly portal. As soon as she was gone, Diego started debating with himself.

 _"One the one hand, she was essentially an evil queen and not to be trusted. On the other hand, she had managed to point out a rather painful detail about myself then: my fears. I was scared of just about anything or anyone that looked even a little threatening. I'd say I was just about as close as you could get to being paranoid without actually being paranoid. Salem had offered to take that all away and it intrigued me. But I still wasn't sure if I could trust her. *sigh* Eventually, I came to a decision that changed my life forever..."_

Diego pulled out a notebook he kept in his pocket and wrote something on the paper. He then pulled out a knife from his pocket and used it to stick the paper to a nearby tree. He then started off for home. This is what the note said:

" _I'll give you one benefit of a doubt. Meet me here tomorrow and help me conquer my fears."_

* * *

 **Sorry, but this is a multi-chapter flasback! Apologies to those that expected better.**

 **Review and all that, and I'll see you in the next chapter!**

 **Edit: I'm putting out an offer for those with their own RWBY OC's. You can submit an OC (or multiple OC's) as people Diego runs into in his past. It can be before or during the Great War period, but not near the events of the Vol #1 series (The only exception is if it's a member of the White Fang). Send the OC as a PM to my account with the subject labeled "RWBY OC Offer" complete with a name, age, a description of their appearance, whether they're human or Faunus (and if Faunus, what kind), and what their weapon/fighting style is.**

 **Who knows? Maybe yours will make it in Diego's Past.**

 **Adios!**


	18. Diego's Past - Part Two

**Part Two, here we go! I actually put some thought behind this after having _LunaTheBlackWolf_ question about it in the early stages of this story. Clever girl! XD**

 **I apologize for keeping this away for long time. A lot of things have been catching up to me at last, and it's slowing me down.**

 **Please enjoy!**

* * *

"I don't like this!" Diego shouted to the dark lady as a Beowolf stood in front of him, growling. "I'm gonna die!"

Salem simply flashed a smile and answered, "Think positive, boy!"

"Okay... I'm positive that I'm gonna die!" he remarked.

Salem rolled her eyes. "Just go over to the Grimm and lay your hand on it!"

Diego trembled as he walked towards the Beowolf. It was still growling, sensing his fear as he approached. The only thing keeping it from killing him was its mistress nearby, who was controlling it with a form of telepathic commands. Diego didn't feel like trying this at all, but a voice in his head kept nagging him forward.

 _You wanted to conquer your fears. Why throw away such an opportunity?_

Diego gulped as he got within arm's reach of the Beowolf. He closed his eyes and held out his hand. For a moment, nothing happened. Then he felt something rub against his hand. Opening his eyes, he found the Beowolf rubbing its head against the hand of the stranger before it. Feeling a little calmer, Diego started patting and petting the creature, which growled in satisfaction.

"It's almost like a puppy," Diego managed, a small smile forming on his face. Salem also smiled, as her technique had worked beautifully.

 _The boy is learning fast,_ she thought to herself, _He could be of great use to us in the future._

With a smile, Salem stood to her feet to address the boy.

"Good job, Diego," she said to him with genuine pride. "Ready to move on to something larger?"

Diego looked to her and gave a small smile.

"If you don't mind, I think I'd like to wait for another day or two," he replied.

"Suit yourself," she answered with a small shrug. She watched him go back to admiring the Beowolf and smiled with amusement.

 _He will learn, eventually..._

* * *

"Diego, I'd like for you to meet someone."

Diego looked up from the book he had been reading and stood to his feet as his father called to him, as he stood in the doorway. Mr. Kaplia was a human in his mid-forties, with black hair and blue eyes. He wore a blue suit and a cane was in his right hand, which he seemed to lean upon for support whenever he was standing in one place for an extended period of time.

"What is it, father?" he asked, following the adult to their living room where two unfamiliar figures waited on them. Both were cheetah Faunus, one male and one female. The male seemed to be much older than the female, who looked only a year younger than Diego. The male Faunus looked up at the two and a polite smile formed on his face.

"Ah, Master Kapila," he addressed Diego's father formerly, "I assume that this strapping young lad beside you is your son?"

"Indeed he is," Mr. Kaplia replied just as politely. Diego could hear a hint in his father's voice that said his father disliked something about this meeting, but the Cheetah Faunus didn't seem to notice. Turning his attention back to the cheetah, he put on a polite expression of his own.

"Pleased to meet you sir," Diego said, shaking the cheetah's hand.

"Likewise," he replied. "I've come to propose a tie between your father's family and my own."

Diego felt a little voice in the back of his head warn him that he wasn't gonna like where this was going, but he still asked, "What kind of tie did you have in mind, sir?"

The Cheetah gestured to his daughter, who walked over to her father and held his hand.

"A marriage," he said bluntly. Diego realized now what was going on and felt his father's heat signature rise a bit more as he tried to keep himself composed. The Cheetah continued.

"This is my daughter, Katherine," he said formerly, "She's fifteen years old, and it's customary in our family for her to be betrothed to someone by this age. We've gotten a list of others, but you were our first target, given your respectable status in society."

Diego wanted to outright refuse, for his family wasn't a believer in such forms of marriage. However, an idea came to his mind as he thought about what benefits this could grant to the poor little girl. As he thought to himself, he heard his father say, "Of course. We'd be more than happy to accept your proposal, and we hope that your daughter will feel right at home here."

The Cheetah smiled and shook Mr. Kapila's hand. "Thank you. Now as much as I'd like to stay, I'm afraid I must be going. Katherine is free to come and go as she pleases, if that's not too much trouble for you?"

"No trouble at all," Mr. Kapila beamed. The Cheetah nodded, then excused himself and with a final farewell he left the room. They waited until they heard him close the front door signaling that he had departed, then they started speaking to each other. Meanwhile, Katherine quietly excused herself and left the room.

"You aren't seriously agreeing with him, are you?" Diego asked, knowing what his father's answer was but also curious as to what his father had planned.

"Of course not," his father replied, "But I've seen the other suitors he had in mind, and I wouldn't wish to see Katherine betrothed to them. No, she's safer with you. Besides..." He gave Diego a grin. "I believe that my son has an idea of his own for her?"

Diego smiled and nodded. "If she's betrothed to me, then she cannot be given away to any other unless I personally will it. So as long as I never do such a thing, she's safe from any unwanted suitors."

Seeing what his son was planning, Mr. Kapila made a laugh and slapped his son on the back.

"That's my boy!" he remarked cheerfully, "Now, maybe you should tell Miss Katherine about this arrangement? So she feels more at ease."

"Absolutely," Diego replied, looking in the direction the said Faunus had taken off to. He walked out of the living room and heard a soft crying upstairs, as well as sensing her heat signature with his viper pits, one of his few Faunus traits that he had inherited from his mother. He walked up the stairs and to his bedroom door, where the sobs seemed to get louder. He gave a soft knock before opening and found the poor girl sitting on his bed with a tear streaked face. Giving a friendly smile, he walked over to the side of the bed and sat down, not bothering to close the door beforehand.

"Why are you so sad?" he asked her gently. She didn't answer at first and he tried again. "It's okay. I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to. I just don't like seeing a girl sad, let alone any guest under this roof."

She sniffed a few more times, then dried her tears and looked to him. Maybe she felt that he was sincere or perhaps she had no one else to pour out her grief to, but she finally spoke.

"I didn't want to be married," she explained, "I don't feel like I'm ready for it. Especially to someone I don't know or have never seen before. My father... is one to follow older traditions, so he doesn't understand." She sighed sadly. "I didn't wish to upset you downstairs, but... You're cute and I believe you're nice people here, but I-"

Diego cut her off with a short hand gesture, giving her a reassuring smile.

"My family doesn't believe in such a thing either," he told her, "We simply agreed for a different motive. Miss Katherine, if one is betrothed to another, you can't be given to anyone else unless I wish it to be so. Well... I don't wish to marry you for your sake, but neither do I feel that it's right to let you marry someone else who may not respect you as he should." He gave her a grin. "So, I'm keeping you under my wing to prevent both."

She looked to him with surprise in her cat eyes, searching his expression curiously to see if he truly was as sincere as he let on. Satisfied with his answer, she dried her tears and smiled. Her smile was rather cute on her face.

"That's awfully kind of you, Mr Kapila..." she began, but stopped when Diego chuckled a bit.

"Mr. Kapila's my father," he said, "Just call me Diego."

"Okay, Diego," she said again, "I don't know how else to thank you for this act of kindness you've shown to me. How can I ever repay you?"

Diego gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. "I only wish I could do more." He stood up and looked around his room. "Feel free to take the bed if you'd like. I can fix up another one for myself. Make yourself at home." He walked to the doorway, then turned back and gave her another smile. "I'll see you at dinner Katherine."

"Kitty," she said.

"Huh?" Diego paused and listened again.

"My friends used to call me 'Kitty' when I was child," she explained.

Diego smirked. "Well then, Kitty, I'll see you in an hour."

With that, Diego left the room fully and descended the stairs to where he had left his book. Opening it up again, he muttered to himself, "Now then, where was I? Oh right. The Grimm chapter..."

* * *

"You're late!" Salem scolded him sharply that night as he arrived at the place where he had placed his blind.

"Sorry I can't always make room for you, Your Majesty," he replied sarcastically, "Besides, I have a life outside this thing you do with me."

"Then balance it more efficiently," she remarked rudely, "I can't afford to have you late for my lessons."

"Sheesh, one time and she's on you like a ravenous wolf," Diego joked. "Okay, show me what you've got."

Salem just glared icily at him as she summoned the largest Ursa Major she could. She stared at him as he went through the same procedures he had gone through with the other Grimm. He had been mastering his fears quite well, maybe too well. Even though she could kill him at anytime and even though she was something rather frightful to be around, he never seemed to fear her. If anything, he actually acted like she was another person from his town whenever he was around her. It was not something she was accustomed to, and it infuriated her.

Yet at the same time, it made her feel something inside that she couldn't exactly identify. All she knew was that she hated it. She wanted the feeling to go away, to crush it and banish it to the deepest darkest recesses of Remnant. And yet... an itty bitty part of her said otherwise. That tiny part of her enjoyed this feeling, craved it, longed for it every day. It was a feeling it felt was long overdue in her miserable life. To be treated like an equal, like a person... not a monster...

She growled to herself. She was not a person, she was a monster! She would never change that nor could anyone else. Still, she couldn't deny that it was a feeling that she found alluring.

A yawn from the direction of the boy signaled that he was done with lesson. She looked to him and nodded in approval.

"You've done well, Kapila," she said, "If you keep this up, you may become invisible to the eyes of the Grimm entirely."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Diego replied. He then gave her a smile. "Thanks."

"For what?" Salem asked, genuinely confused.

"For helping me overcome my fears," he answered, giving her a hug. The Queen of the Grimm was too surprised to react properly to this situation, whether negatively or positively. The boy released her and then stated, "Well, I'd better get back home. I need my sleep, and I wouldn't wish to worry my parents."

He skipped off in the direction of home through the forest, humming happily to himself as he went. Salem watched him go, her gaze never leaving him until he had disappeared from view. Even then she continued to stare in the direction he had headed for the longest of times.

As a small non-evil smile appeared on her face.

* * *

 **Well, this took much too long to finish! But, I finally got part two done!**

 **Next up, part three!**

 **Cya next time! I hope you enjoyed!**


	19. Diego's Past - Part Three

**Part Three is here! After this, hopefully the most we'll see is one more chapter of the flashbacks, then we move on to the present.**

 **So, I kept forgetting to say this at the end of the last two flashbacks after publishing, so I'll say it here: if you have an OC that you think might make it into Diego's past, feel free to offer them up to me. I'm always open to suggestions.**

 **Other than that, please enjoy!**

* * *

Diego quietly walked up the stairs to Yang's room, careful not to make too much noise as he walked. It was still light outside and he wasn't trying to hide his presence; no, it was more of a gesture of courtesy that caused him to tread so lightly. Not too long ago, Tiayang had decided to take a nap and Diego felt it was only polite to make sure he wasn't disturbed.

Reaching the door to his girlfriend's room, Diego gave it a few light knocks to announce his presence. He actually knocked on it in a manner that was obviously a code of some kind.

"Come in, Diego," Yang's voice answered on the other side. Diego smiled and opened the door. As he expected, Yang was sitting up in the bed currently, giving him a smile of her own. Beside her on the nightstand was a robotic arm from Atlas, most likely to replace her original one. Why she hadn't tried it on yet, even in her condition, was unknown to Diego, but he wasn't going to talk about it just yet. He gently sat on the bed next to her as he continued to give her his warm greeting.

"I didn't hear you come in this time," Yang noted with a smirk.

"Well, your father took a nap not long after I got here," Diego explained. "Consider my silence an act of courtesy towards him."

Yang nodded in understanding; it seemed like a polite gesture in and of itself. Then she asked, "Are you going to tell me more about your past then?"

Diego nodded silently. "It'll give you something to listen to. Besides, I've needed to do this for a while." He then gave her a small glance. "Just to warn you, this next part may get a bit... unsettling in more ways than one."

"I understand," Yang replied. "Whatever you have to tell me, I'm listening."

Diego sighed. "Well, here goes nothing..."

Yang listened patiently and quietly as Diego continued his story...

* * *

 ****Flashback****

"I figured you'd be here," Diego said to the Grimm Queen before him as he hung upside-down on the branch of a tree above his blind. Or at least where the blind used to stand. For reasons that he wouldn't reveal to Salem, he had removed the blind from the area and set it up somewhere else. If Salem was bothered by this detail, she never said anything about it.

"Where else would I be?" Salem snapped, but there was a small hint in her tone that Diego barely managed to catch that seemed to tell him that she wasn't actually angry at him. In the last year or so that he had been around her, Diego had noticed a small change gradually coming over her the more they interacted. She would still snap at him or treat him like he wasn't much to pay attention to, but she also occasionally flashed him a genuine smile or simply held a hint of a different tone in her voice than what she tried to portray. Diego loved to tease her about such details, all of which she tried to deny in vain. Diego may have been a bit naïve to most, but he held a particular gift in detecting the true emotions one held in their mannerism.

"Oh I don't know," he answered her, giving a ridiculous smile from his position. "You could be terrorizing other areas to your heart's content, coming up with new Grimm, even become a nuisance to someone else. Yet, here you are, still hanging around my place, hoping to gain something that you have been craving for your entire life."

"And what would that be?" Salem demanded, her eyes flashing dangerously as if to warn him that he was treading on thin ice. Diego ignored this and said something that caught her by surprise.

"You want to be treated as more than a monster."

She seemed confused to what he was talking about, but then the picture got brighter. She placed her hands on the tree, in a somewhat confused state. Not confused by what Diego said, but what she was feeling in the inside. She was not made to feel these emotions, in fact she was designed to sense the complete opposite. She was a love struck teenager she heard so much about, and right now the object of that emotion was staring at her while hanging upside down from a tree.

"Then show me what you mean by that," Salem said with a hint of nervousness in her tone. Diego smirked and hopped down from the tree.

"Scared, are you now?" he joked. "You, the definition of fear." Then more seriously, "How about I teach you the basics and we'll work our way up from there?"

"Okay..." she was feeling too many mixed feelings to properly respond or react.

"Goodie!" Diego cheered. "So, let's start off with a simple greeting..."

* * *

 **A few months later...**

Diego strolled through the forest cheerfully, humming to himself as he walked. Today had been a special day for him, hence the reason for his cheerful attitude. Today had been his birthday; he had just turned 18 and was feeling ready to take on the next step in his life. Tonight, however, as always, he had someone else he wanted to speak with. And there she was up ahead, staring at him with her red eyes while leaning against a tree. Diego gave a playful whistle.

"Hello, Nurse!" he teased, then laughed before saying, "How're ya doing, Salem?"

"Fine I think. That whistling is really getting annoying," She responded with a pompous tone.

"What? I can't say that you look nice at night?" Diego smirked. "Even with the eyes, it does favors for your appearance."

Salem eyes widened with that response.

"You know this teasing isn't get you anywhere." She giggled with a faint smirk.

"Well, you know me. I can be very cheeky sometimes," Diego replied. He then sighed. "Today was probably the best day of my life."

"And why is that I wonder?" She said with such sarcasm that she thought it could be true.

"My birthday came along," Diego replied. "And by golly, I swear Dad and Mom went all out on it this time." He giggled. "Though they probably could've done without pampering me." His smile faded for a second. "But now comes a difficult part that is soon to follow."

"Every bird must leave the nest eventually," Salem said while staring at the moon. It was almost like she had a story behind that quote. Then her eyes snapped out of it. "So what did your parents get you for your birthday?"

"Well... maybe I should show you," Diego answered. He lifted up his arms and revealed what seemed to be two redish-grey bracelets on them, until he made a motion with his wrists and they extended into full gloved gauntlets. He grinned as he showed them to her.

"These belonged to my mother's great-great grandfather," he explained. "Passed down to him by his father, and his father before him, and so on. It's been in the family for as long as anyone can remember." He sighed. "Now, the responsibility of keeping them has been bestowed upon me."

"Sounds like more of a burden if you ask me," She said with a monotone voice.

"That's because you don't fully understand humans," Diego noted as he made the gauntlets shrink back down to bracelets. "Or Faunus. Or hybrids, like me." He shrugged. "But, I don't blame you."

"I never been one to be really attached to objects," Salem stated. He felt like she lied about that, but he was not going to push it.

"So... how's sitting around waiting every night for me to come around?" Diego asked, making it sound like it was a perfectly natural thing to do.

"I don't only come up for you. The view of the moon is truly exquisite if I say so myself."

Diego stopped and looked up at the fractured moon.

"Neat," Diego remarked. "Wonder how it got that way..."

"Story for another time... oh, I haven't given you my present yet, have I?" She said with a glint in the eye. Diego seemed confused what the present might be, and even more surprised she actually got him something.

"You... got me a present?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. He had not expected such an answer.

"Yes, but it's not quite an object like your parents' gift," Salem answered while trying to avoid eye contact with Diego. Diego gave her a smirk.

"Salem, are you trying to imply something?" he teased. "Cause I think someone stole your heart. Who's the lucky guy?"

"Well, let's just say the guy is not the brightest in the world. He has a severe case of ADHD. But you can say that's why I'm attracted to him. He doesn't see me as a monster, but as an actual woman." While she was saying this, Salem was inching her hand towards Diego's hand. "He makes me feel human."

Then she collided her lips with his. Diego's eyes lit up in surprise, his brain feeling like it was about to shut down.

 _Is this even real?_ he asked himself. _I... can't even..._

The kiss only lasted for a few seconds before she pulled away, and he continued to stare blankly onto space. Then, eventually, his brain rebooted and he chuckled.

"Okay... not that I didn't like that... but that was the LAST thing I expected," he managed.

"I'm so sorry. It's just I've never tried anything like this before," Salem said while blushing. "But all those things I said are true. You really do make me feel human." Salem placed a hand on her chest. "And it really hurts. I was never made to fall in love. I was made to snuff it out," She said with actual tears starting to gather in her eyes.

"Hey, don't cry," Diego said gently to her, wiping the tears as they fell. "You may think you're made for one thing, but I can tell you now, that doesn't have to be your destiny." He gave her a smile. "I'm the son of a Faunus, but that doesn't mean I'll live as a Faunus. I'm also the son of a human, but that doesn't mean I'll treat Faunus unfairly. I'm also me. And I get to choose what I want to be." He gently caressed her cheek with his hand. It felt unsettling and his entire body seemed to crawl because of it, but he didn't care. "I believe that you can make the choice to be what you want to be too. You just have to follow your heart."

"My main purpose is to make sure that humanity is to suffer!" She shouted while tears poured down her face. "I have never known what is like to be human! Only to be a monster from the stories you tell children!" Salem sobbed while sliding down the tree, covering her face. "I want to be more than that. I want to fall in love, have a child, and finally be happy with myself. To achieve something besides humanity's downfall."

Diego didn't know how to react. Salem was so broken, so conflicted inside, it was sad to watch. He felt pity anew for the Grimm Queen who had been dropped into his life. Slowly, he sat next to her and put his arms around her in a full embrace, ignoring the warnings in his brain and following his heart.

"You can achieve that now," he whispered to her. "You've proven that you can be something other than what everyone thinks you should be. And I don't care if they call me crazy for this, but... I want to be with you, to hold you, to guide you through this. You gave me something I thought I could never achieve; you helped me overcome my fears." He lifted her head up to look into his eyes. "Now, it's my turn to help you, if you'll let me... my beautiful queen."

She was shocked with response. In all her years, she has never seen someone so committed to her besides that stupid wizard. She stood up and kissed him on the cheek.

"I think you know what comes next right," Salem said with a very flirty tone.

"Mmm, a little..." Diego admitted. "I'm... honestly just as new at the relationship thing as you are. So... this is uncharted waters for both of us." He smirked and squeezed her hand. "But we'll face it all together."

"Always," She added caressing his cheek. Diego smiled, then looked up at the moon for a moment.

"I'm... not expected to be back for a few more hours," he said to her. "We have the night to ourselves." He gave her a cheeky grin. "So, what's on your mind, my dear?"

"Well I don't really want to ruin your birthday, so it's your choice. Consider it my second gift," She said with a huge grin.

"Ooo... choices," he said with glee. Then he smirked. "How about another kiss? This time, I think I'm ready."

"I was about to say that I just wanted you to say it," She replied while closing in on his face.

* * *

 **I will admit... that one part Salem mentioned did sound maybe a little suggestive. But, I managed to make it a little less than it originally sounded. And, no I'm not the one responsible for that.**

 **Big thanks to** ** _DoomyWoomy737_ for helping me with Salem in these scenes! You rock buddy!**

 **One last call for anyone who wishes to have an OC star in Diego's past; the next chapter or two will most likely be the last of Diego explaining his past to Yang. So, if you wish to have an OC in the story, get it in! XD**

 **Cya in the next one!**


	20. Diego's Past - Part Four

**I know what you're going to say Luna and Chey... "About time! Took you FOREVER to post the next chapter!"**

 **Well, schoolwork, having your personal PC's battery die, and having to spend a set amount of time on homework will do that to you. You of all people should know that by now. JK, I love you guys.**

 **This is probably the last chapter of Diego's past and then it's on to the main event once again! On that note... I am so far behind on the most recent episodes, but what I've seen so far is pretty great. I'm more or less hyped by what I've seen! But for anyone who hasn't seen it yet... I'll try to keep spoilers to a minimum.**

 **One last thing to say about this chapter which contains a slight spoiler: after seeing Volume 6 of the series and of Salem's past, I understand if a few things from the last chapter doesn't exactly make sense. So I have some form of logic behind it all: the Salem whom Diego knows and the Salem whom Ozpin knows (and knew), while sharing the same body, are not the same person. Figuratively speaking, Salem was reborn into a different person the night she and Ozpin officially became enemies.**

 **Anyways, apologies for the MAJORLY delayed update, and I hope y'all enjoy!**

 **Note: Text** like this **is Diego speaking over the flashback.**

* * *

"Salem? Salem!" Diego called to the Grimm Queen, hoping that she was somewhere nearby. He needed to talk to her, for recently something had happened which made him start to question her motives a bit. He didn't want to believe it... but he needed to know.

It wasn't long before he was greeted by the sight of his lover in question, who was wearing a genuine smile on her face as he approached. However, when noticing his troubled expression, she got concerned.

"Is something wrong?" she asked him.

"Yes, unfortunately," Diego replied bluntly, then he looked to her with a slight frown. "Someone showed up today at my place. He claimed that he knew you; he even called you by name."

Salem felt a bit suspicious about this, so she asked, "What was his name?"

"He went by... Ozpin."

Salem's expression went a bit wide eyed and Diego could feel a flurry of emotions from her being built up with her magic. Smart people would have run, but while Diego wasn't dumb... he wasn't exactly one to run when it was perhaps necessary at times. In fact, he did something else; he held the Grimm Queen's hand and spoke softly.

"I'm guessing you have a history with him?" he asked her.

"That's putting it lightly," Salem growled, reeling in her anger for the sake of keeping Diego unharmed. She breathed, then asked him, "What did he tell you?"

"Lot's of things, many of which I don't want to believe are true," Diego replied with a serious tone. "But I need to be reassured, so that's why I came to you." He looked Salem straight in the eye and gave her the most serious expression she had seen him wear. "Tell me everything. From the very beginning, and be honest about it."

"Diego... you won't like what you hear," Salem told him.

"Maybe not... but I need to know. Please... you said you wouldn't keep secrets from me anymore," Diego said softly. Salem briefly considered not telling him anyways, but the look in his eyes seemed to pierce her very soul and eventually she made a small sigh.

"Fine," she said, and then she gave him the information he wanted to know. Apparently, she and Ozpin knew each other from a different age. Back then, she knew him by a different (but rather similar)name, and they had been lovers. However, one day he had gotten sick and died. She had tried to bring him back to life by asking the gods of Remnant to bring him back (something that surprised Diego to know about), but they had refused. On top of that, she had also been made immortal by them, cursed to forever walk the earth until she had learned not to be selfish. Feeling wronged by them, she had tried to turn humanity against the gods... only to have the whole of humanity wiped out. In her sorrow, she had tried to kill herself multiple times, but her immortality had prevented this. She had even tried doing so by diving into the Pool of Darkness, where the Grimm came from (something Diego had seen himself). Instead of killing her, it had turned her into what she was now; a sorceress with power over the creatures of darkness.

Eventually, she and Ozpin had managed to be reunited, for one of the gods had made him able to be reincarnated whenever he would die. For a while, they had managed to be together again, until the night he discovered her true intentions and she learned of his task given to him by the god of Light; to take her down and prepare mankind for judgement. That night tore them apart once again, and their battle not long after destroyed both their home and the family they had together. From that point on, they had been sworn enemies, always fighting to keep the other from succeeding. Never once did she ever consider to bring it all to a stop, always seeking to get her way.

"...and then you showed up," she finished, looking at him with a slight smile that faded again with a sigh. "And you gave me something I haven't felt in a long time... love, compassion, kindness... And on top of it all, you made me feel human again. That alone was the greatest gift you could give to me."

Diego was silent for a long while, since it truly was a lot to take in. Salem clearly wasn't in the right for trying selfishly to get Oz back and causing the destruction of mankind in the process... but neither did he feel that it was fair for the gods to make her cursed with immortality and forced to forever walk the earth. They should have let her die so she could eventually be with her loved one at last. Heck, he found them a bit hypocritical about their balance of life and death, considering that they were unwilling to bring Ozpin to life, yet were apparently willing to massacre an entire planet and THEN bring Ozpin back through reincarnation. It was things like that where he could feel sympathetic about what happened to her.

And the fact she had started to truly change all because of him... He felt some pride in this, especially since he knew it was real. Diego wasn't the best at reading people, but some said that he possessed a trait from his mother that allowed him to see the intentions one held in their expressions or words.

And there was no lie in Salem's words. She had been completely honest with him, and had shared everything with him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked her, his tone and expression neutral for now as he looked at her.

"Because... I didn't think you could handle the truth," Salem said. "Who would believe such a tale as outlandish as that?"

She looked down at the ground in sadness, not noticing the smile forming on Diego's face.

"How about the one person in all of Remnant who was not only willing to befriend the Queen of the Grimm, but also fall in love with her?" he suggested with a smirk. This managed to earn a small smile from her, though she at first tried to play it off with sarcasm.

"Oh please. You were practically begging for mercy when we first met," she stated. "I could have killed you, and given my nature I probably should have too."

"And yet, I'm still here," Diego responded with a smile.

Salem smiled back, then asked, "What do you want to do now?"

"Hmm... how about I share some of my knowledge with you?" he suggested. "I know much about the other kingdoms that could be useful in many fashions should one be looking to improve upon what they already have."

"Then I'm all ears," Salem nodded and sat back to listen to what Kapila had to say. She didn't admit it, but what she heard him talk about was more impressive than he realized. For it could indeed determine the improvement of the kingdoms...

Or herald their downfalls.

* * *

It was all a mistake.

It shouldn't have happened, it couldn't have happened... but it did. Salem had done the unforgivable act in the eyes of her lover. It had started off simple. Some Grimm had started to attack a settlement nearby, which was not an uncommon occurrence. The Queen had decided to walk in and oversee what was occurring herself, perhaps even to see if there were any survivors whom she could prevent from dying. It was a slim chance, but it was worth the trouble if it meant making Diego happy.

And then, it happened. Up ahead, an Ursa had managed to corner a Cheetah Faunus who had survived the previous ordeal, but was now beyond rescue as the Ursa attacked. Salem had at first thought nothing of it, for she knew even her command couldn't save the girl in time. But when she saw the glint of a familiar family symbol on a ring she wore, Salem immediately felt a pang of shock go over her.

That was Diego's "betrothed" whom he had talked so often about. From what Salem knew, the engagement was nothing more than a false assumption and in truth their relationship was like that of a brother and sister. And now, she lay dead at the feet of one of her creatures of darkness. Panic came over her as she tried to do something to bring the girl back, but in vain. She didn't have the power or time to do anything...

"Katherine!" she heard Diego scream, and then he was beside her at a moment's notice, cradling her body with care as her life faded swiftly, unable to speak to him in her final hours. The sight made even Salem feel heartbroken and saddened.

"Diego... I - I'm so sorry. It was an accident..." she started, but then she stopped when he looked at her, pure anger and betrayal in his eyes.

 _"Back then, I didn't know that she didn't have her killed intentionally nor that she was not to blame. Back then, I thought all she had said and done to be my friend and lover to be a lie. All of Ozpin's warnings about her came to my mind, and I felt betrayed. So... I made one of the biggest mistakes of my life..."_

"Murderer!" he screamed at the Grimm Queen. "How could you pretend to be my friend? Or more than that?! You - you MONSTER!"

His voice seemed to echo across the reaches of Remnant, and it penetrated her very soul and shattered her heart. His words struck her deeply, far deeper than any wounds she had been dealt before. It made her want to break down in tears, just like she had done when Oz had been taken from her the first time.

But she didn't have time to react in such a way, for from Diego something emitted from his being that caused the Grimm in the area to act in a way Salem had never expected to see: they were running away in fear. Fear. The very thing they thrived on, that drove them to destruction, and yet now it was causing them to flee. And to top it off... Salem felt something else from him. Her power was coursing through him, and she sensed it was changing him too.

But that was impossible... unless... She took one more look and then realized what had happened. Diego had discovered his Semblance, or more precisely inherited it, and was already putting it to use.

"Diego... stop! My powers... they'll -" she started, but was interrupted by Diego himself. He looked her in the eye as his image changed into a terrible monstrosity; a Grimm that was almost as human as she was... but with the same dark skin as the Grimm. And his eyes were a blood red color like her own, glowing with malice, hate, and rage. But deeper down, she could see something else - no, some _one_ else; someone unexplained by this world, and far more intimidating to her than the gods. Whoever it was, Salem knew only one thing for certain.

She was afraid.

" **Leave!"** the creature that was Diego roared, and with a scream, the Queen of the Grimm turned and ran from her former lover into the night. The creature kept on roaring and bellowing out in anger and grief, then after a long moment it went silent. Then it shifted back into the human, who was both afraid of what had happened to him but also saddened by the loved ones he had lost, one of which was now beyond his reach and had ran off into the night. He took this time to grieve for several minutes, then with a newfound look of determination he looked to the moon above and made a solemn vow.

"Mark my words. One way or another, I will put an end to you Salem. I will not rest until you are dead... whether by my hand or another... That is my promise..."

* * *

 ***Present day***

"...And from that say since, I sealed my fate with my own words," Diego finished, looking to Yang fully. "I joined Ozpin for a spell, trying to make a difference in the world. But it didn't seem to go anywhere, so eventually I left the group and decided to do the same on my own. Vengeance always pushed me forward and it clouded my vision. Until the night I met you..." He managed to give a small smile. "You gave me a different meaning in life, and gave me purpose once more. Because of that... I feel whole again."

Yang looked at him in utter silence, a surprised expression on her face. But not because she didn't believe him; she knew somehow that despite everything he had said, no matter how outlandish or insane it seemed, it was all true. The idea of him becoming a Grimm, however, is what got to her the most. Hearing about how he had become one of the very creatures that sought to destroy humanity... it made her feel sorry for him. And hearing that she had made such an impact on his life was a touching note as well. She had been confident before, but now knowing one of his darkest secrets had been revealed willingly even with the risk of tainting what they had made her all the more positive that he truly cared for her.

And yet, one nagging detail still rested in the back of her mind, something Diego had touched on while explaining things to Yang.

"So... if Salem can't be killed, how can we stop her? Doesn't it seem a little hopeless to you?" she asked him.

"It's only hopeless if we decide to give up," Diego explained. "Besides... who says we have to kill her? Sometimes, defeating your enemies doesn't mean to kill them; sometimes, it simply means that you make sure that they are no longer a threat to anyone, and to let them know that if they come back, you'll be waiting for them. And if we don't try to stop her... then who will? Most, if not all in this world don't even know who Salem is nor are they aware of the hidden conflict between her and Ozpin. We either try and at least give future generations the time and inspiration to fight back, or we give up and everyone dies."

Yang was silent again, for Diego did have a point. Not only was it unfair to other generations if they simply dumped the problem into their lap without ever trying to solve it themselves, but there was also a possibility nobody would be around if they didn't try at all. For better or worst, this problem with Salem was something that she and her friends had to deal with now so the world could sleep easy at night.

"Alright... before we make any major decision, I'd like to ask you something," she said to him.

"Of course, Goldilocks," Diego replied with a smile. "What is it?"

"Well, it may sound like an odd or crazy request... but I'd like to see the other side of you. The side you keep hidden," she told him. Diego's smile faded for a second and he gave her a serious expression.

"I don't think that's safe at all, Yang. I mean... I could hurt you, really badly in that form," he stated.

"You don't want anymore secrets to be hidden away, right?" Yang demanded, but not harshly. "Well, if you truly meant it... then don't hide it from me like everything else."

Diego wanted to object, but one look into her purple eyes made him break. Besides, she had a point. There was no point in hiding any longer.

"Alright. But first, you need to do something for me," he said.

"And what's that?" Yang asked.

"Try on the new arm, and get yourself back into fighting shape," Diego said bluntly. "I at least want you to be able to defend yourself, in case I lose control..."

This impacted Yang quite a bit to say the least, but she eventually gave him a nod to assure him that she would do just that. Satisfied, Diego smiled and then looked outside the window and noted the light streaming in.

"It's getting late. You should get some sleep," he told her gently. "I'll be back by morning... assuming that your father won't let me sleep under this roof."

"What? And be rude to his daughters' savior? Not a chance," Yang chuckled. Diego gave a small laugh too, then he stood up from where he had been sitting and quietly left the room, glancing back at her gently at the door.

"Sleep well, Goldilocks," he whispered, then he shut the door and left the Huntress to get the rest she needed.

* * *

 **For any complaints you may have for me giving some spoilers away... I said I'd keep them to a _minimum. _I never said that there wouldn't be any spoilers. Besides, with what I had gone for in regards to Salem in the past, that was more or less inevitable.**

 **Thanks for reading and I apologize for not updating in forever. A ton of stuff crashed down on me all at once, some of which I mentioned at the start of this chapter. I haven't abandoned the story at all! I'm just delayed heavily.**

 **Fun fact: I originally was going to have Ozpin talking to Diego personally, but since I didn't know how to incorporate that in, I decided against it.**

 **See y'all in the next one!**


	21. A Grimm Secret and Journey's Start

**Well, I may finally be getting into the swing of things on RWBY. So hopefully, this will allow me to get things done with this series quicker.**

 **Rooster Teeth doesn't have as many episodes on YouTube anymore since Volume 6 came around, meaning that I'm gonna have to sit through tons of ads and cookies on their personal site while re-watching episodes to remember how things go. Oh well! Such is the trials of a writer.**

 **I hope you enjoy y'all, because Diego is now going to reveal his Grimm side for the first time to his friends.**

* * *

"Glad to see you've been making use with that arm," Diego remarked to Yang, having watched her and her father spar for a while. He had to admit, much of what Taiyang had told his daughter was true: she had been predictable before, and she was also very stubborn and relied on her Semblance too often. However, no one could deny that she was also a very talented warrior. In the time she had spent training with her dad, Yang had gotten much better in combat. It was more apparent by the hour, and with that Diego felt a sense of pride watching her.

Maybe, he felt, she could possibly start standing a chance against him if he couldn't control himself.

"You saw all that?" Yang inquired, giving a smirk. "Did you enjoy the show, then?"

"I did. And you performed beautifully, Goldilocks," Diego answered with a chuckle. It at least put him in a good mood to know that she was improving once again. Adam's attack had scarred her both physically and mentally, and there were times when it became obvious that she was still recovering. But he was always patient with such times and willing to comfort her and lend his support where he could.

"So... is now a good time to talk about it?" Yang asked him.

"About what...? Oh," Diego managed, then he looked to a cluster of trees nearby and said, "Let's try over there. I think it'll hide us enough to keep your father and any passing people from getting freaked out."

Yang nodded in understanding and followed him into the treeline, concealing both of them for a moment before Diego turned back to her with a nervous expression.

"Okay... I'm gonna do it. Just... try not to freak out," he told her. Yang nodded and stepped back a bit to give him space. Diego sighed for a moment, then concentrated. His transformation wasn't so painful to him now, since he was willingly summoning this form, but it was still just as horrific for Yang to watch as it had been for Cinder. Understandably, she backed away from him and looked on with a shocked expression at what he had become, but for now was not about to run. It was not the fact that he was a Grimm which scared her; it was the fact that with the exception of his black and white color scheme commonly seen among Grimm, and the glowing eyes he sported, Diego still looked as if he had been human before.

Diego, meanwhile, was a bit surprised to find that he wasn't losing control around her, even though he could sense what little fear she was giving off. He figured that it was perhaps excess fear which made him lose control, and was at least glad to see that she wasn't running off yet.

 **"Now you see... this is what I have become..."** he spoke, his voice sounding dark and terrible. **"A monster. That is all I am... The very thing that threatens the lives of humans all across Remnant... I tried never to reveal this to anyone, because no one would ever accept what I am... Being part-Faunus was bad enough in this day and age, but being a monster is far worse..."** He turned his head away from her, not wanting to see the look on her face at this point in time. **"It's because of this that I ended up isolating myself from others for as long as I did after meeting Salem. I didn't want to hurt anyone... but it was always lonely. No one whom I had emotional ties with to comfort me or provide any form of support. Then you and your sister showed up with your friends... and for the first time in a long time, I felt happy again. I don't want to lose that... or to ever be alone again..."**

The Grimm gave a sound that seemed to be crying, and Yang noticed something falling from his eyes, sickly-red in color from the looks of it. Even in the monstrous state he was in, it was a sad scene to be watching, And it touched her to know what it was exactly she, her friends and sister had given him. It was clear he had done this action even with the knowledge that it could ruin what they had together. He trusted her enough to tell her his past, and even to show off a side of him that he had tried to keep hidden from others.

Diego was feeling tense at the moment. Why was she so silent? He could take hearing her say something, anything... but the silence was killing him. What was she thinking right now?

He suddenly felt something softly hug and looked to see Yang hugging him, seemingly unfazed by his intimidating appearance. It was confusing to him, but he stayed silent to hear what she had to say.

"I know how it feels to be lonely," she told him. "And I also don't want to lose what we have, neither do I ever intend to leave you."

 **"But... I'm a monster..."** Diego started, but she shushed him before continuing.

"It's not who you are... it's how you feel. Just because you look like a monster on the outside doesn't make you one on the inside. And no matter your current state... I can still see the rogue I fell in love with in you."

She was now looking him fully in the eye at this point, sincerity in her expression and words. It was only then that he realized something: she was not afraid of him. No, the look in her eyes wasn't fear or anything negative; it was a look of trust, of kindness... of love. The Grimm finally managed to smile (or at least as best he could) and then one of his clawed hands gently reached out and brushed through her golden locks of hair. Yang briefly felt a slight twinge of fear go through her when he did so, but she pushed it aside quickly and allowed this action. She knew he would never harm her, even as a Grimm. She was special to him, like a precious treasure he wished to preserve forever.

Suddenly, Diego's form shrank and altered itself, until finally he was restored to normal. Only then did she notice something on his right arm, something familiar...

"Is that... my gauntlet?" she asked him, releasing him and stepping back for a moment to confirm what she had seen. It was indeed her gauntlet, currently in it's bracelet form on his arm, which looked somewhat out of place for him but the way he wore it seemed to be a touching gesture. Still, she couldn't help but speak up about it.

"You... found it...?" she asked him. The rogue looked to the gauntlet, then back to her and gave a nod.

"It's... what's kept me going..." he told her with a soft tone. "Besides... my other one got destroyed in the battle... If you want it back..."

He started to move his other hand towards it to take it off, only to have Yang stop him with her own hand, giving a small smile.

"Keep it. You need it more than I do," she told him. "Think of it as a gift."

Diego hesitated for a moment, then smiled and took his hand away and grasped her own. For a moment, they both just stood in silence while looking into each other's eyes. Then Diego finally said, "So... what now?"

Yang knew what he meant by that, so she answered, "We're gonna end this war."

"Uh... not to sound rude, but... are you sure you're up for it so soon?" he inquired.

"Positive," Yang replied, a determined expression on her face. The rogue smirked.

"Then may I suggest a new paint job? Silver isn't exactly your color," he remarked playfully.

* * *

The first indication Diego got that told him Yang was ready for the journey ahead was the familiar sound of Bumblebee powering up. He grinned as he saw her drive up the road and park a few yards from where he had chosen to wait. He had chosen, for whatever reason, to be hanging upside down from a tree, giving her a goofy smile as she approached. It made her give a laugh of her own at the ridiculous sight.

"I take it you're ready then?" he asked her.

"Ready as I can be," she answered with a smirk.

"Well then, let's not keep them waiting," Diego suggested, then hopped down from the branch and to the ground below. He then got himself prepped as if to run a marathon, which Yang raised an eyebrow at.

"What are you doing?" she asked him.

"Just giving you some excitement for a moment," he said cheekily. "There's a stop some ways up the road I know about. I'll race ya there!"

Yang was about to protest how silly that was since he was on foot, until she saw his body give a glow that told her his Semblance had activated and then he suddenly zipped down the path at a speed that would make any speed racer jealous. She recovered quickly and gave a playful smirk as the engines on Bumblebee revved up.

"Oh, it is so on," she said, then she followed after him at full speed, leaving a trail of dust behind her as she raced to catch up to her boyfriend.

* * *

 **Hopefully, this is the last of the more chill episodes, since we're leaving Volume 4 and going into Volume 5 soon.**

 **I hope y'all enjoyed this, and I'll catch ya in the next chapter!**


End file.
